


An Unlikely Sentinel (Forging Bonds)

by alice_time



Category: The Sentinel, White Collar
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sentinels and Guides Are Known, Knacks, Multi, Non-corporeal animal companions, Pack Bonding, Revenge, Season 1, Season 2, Sentinel/Guide Bonding, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-30
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2018-08-27 20:24:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 28,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8415508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alice_time/pseuds/alice_time
Summary: The plane explosion did more than just take Kate away from Neal, it brought him online--Violently. Neal has to learn how to control his new gifts if he wants to find out who betrayed him, who killed Kate. But to do that, he's going to need a Guide first. And he's just not sure if he can Bond with anyone, let alone the most infuriating Guide he's ever met.





	1. Explosive Changes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for Season 1 finale. And probably all of season 2.

Neal wasn’t sure what was worse, the ringing in his ears, the blinding light or the fact that his skin was on fire. It _felt_ like it was on fire. Everything was loud and bright and— _Kate is dead._ Someone touched him and he growled unconsciously.

“Back off!”

Neal flinched. Everything was too loud.

“Neal?” Peter sounded normal. Quiet almost. “I know everything is too much right now, but the center is sending people. You’re going to be okay.”

 _Center?_ Neal kept his eyes squeezed shut. _What is he talking about?_

“Neal, kiddo, you’ve come online. What you’re feeling right now? The heightened senses? It’s okay. It’s normal.”

Peter’s heart was beating in Neal’s skull.

“You’re going to be okay.”

_You’re going to be okay._

Neal wanted to scream.

_Kate’s dead._

***

At first, Neal thought he might be dead. Dead, and in a very, _very,_ boring after life. Things started to click though, when he realized that the noncolor of the walls of what appeared to be a very expensive hospital room was a very specific noncolor. Manufactured and licensed for one company, and one company only.

He was in the Sandburg Center, and by the state of the other things in the room, soft, muted and dimly lit, he was in a Sentinel suite.

Which was when he remembered what had happened. They’d been about to run, free and clear. Government sanctioned even. Him and Kate. _Finally._ And then Peter was there. And then the plane exploded.

And his brain caught fire. His sense went into overdrive and… _I came online._ Something he’d never, ever, expected. Sure, he’d been tested when he was twelve, just like every other kid in the US, but knowing you have a latent gene and actually coming online were two separate things. And sure, he was in the sweet spot for the age range but…

 _Me? A Sentinel? Really?_ Sentinels were supposed to be…well, not him.

“Neal?”

He looked up from his contemplation of the blanket. “Elizabeth, hey. Is Peter here?”

“Yeah, he’s outside. The center currently only has you approved for visits from bonded Guides, sorry.” She stepped up to the bed and smiled. It was pretty obvious the center had provided her clothes, and she wasn’t wearing jewelry, or any makeup. Her skin was slightly pink—freshly washed.

But still, he caught her scent. Sweet, gentle, with a slight hint of powder and…

“Neal.”

He blinked. “Huh?”

“Sweetie, you were zoning a bit there.” Elizabeth shook her head. “What on?”

“You—you just smell really good.”

“Ah.” She smiled. “Yeah, that’ll do it. Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. I mean. I have to—I have to learn to control this, don’t I?” Neal smiled, somewhat bitterly he had to admit. “This is my life now.”

“Being a Sentinel is a good thing. Really. And I know at heart you are a good man, Neal. This could be destiny. Isn’t that what all of the pamphlets say?”

“What the _shamans_ say,” Neal replied. “Thanks for coming. I was starting to feel a bit isolated.”

“I’ll keep coming back every day if you like.”

“I would. And tell Peter—” Neal bit his lip. “Tell him I don’t think I could’ve really left.” He looked down at his hands. “I don’t think I could’ve gotten on that plane.”

“I will.”

***

While Neal had spent most of his criminal career making what he did look ridiculously easy, it always came down to hours of research, work, study— _work._ No plan ever went off without a hitch and no skill was ever unearned. Still though, he was starting to feel like this whole Sentinel thing was nothing but a never-ending sea of lessons and he was drowning.

Particularly after he was pulled from his eighth zone of the day by Jordan, one of the Center’s guides and his ostensible babysitter. They weren’t a perfect match by any degree, but Jordan was one of those guides who had a knack as working pro tem, he got along with just about everyone. Anyone really, and that made him an invaluable person to have around the Center.

“It’s okay, Neal.” Jordan’s voice was always so soothing. “We’re still testing, once we’ve gotten all of your results back and now for certain where you stand on the charts, this will be easier.”

“Right.” Neal pushed his hair back from his face and sighed. “But what happens after that? After I’m all clear? I’m surprised the FBI isn’t clamoring for something.” Since the plane exploded, his deal with OPR had went up in smoke. It didn’t really make sense to him that he wasn’t in prison again.

“Special circumstances.” Jordan picked up another book of pictures. “Come on, let’s try that exercise again.”

“Fine.”

 _Something strange is going on here._ And it wasn’t just that he was a newly online Sentinel. He could hear Jordan’s heartbeat. It hadn’t been steady. Was Jordan lying? Or just concealing something? Neal’s gut said, _hiding something._

_God, I miss Peter._

***

Finally, three weeks into being isolated from the general public (though Neal wasn’t entirely sure he minded that entirely) Jordan and the Center’s head guide signed off on him receiving “approved guests”. No more than two at a time and for no longer than half an hour but…it was better than nothing. He was also supposed to be getting his test results today, which he was looking forward too and dreading in equal measure.

He wasn’t really at his best when Peter and Elizabeth arrived. He’d had a nightmare before waking up that morning, and while Jordan was as soothing a presence as possible, the guide couldn’t erase the moment Neal lost Kate. The moments Neal came online.

_Kate’s dead._

“Hey, Neal,” Peter said. Being a Sentinel himself, Peter had dressed in his most neutral suit for the occasion. Elizabeth wasn’t stuck in Center scrubs this time, but was still resolutely neutral.

_Boring._

“Peter, Elizabeth.” Neal managed a smile. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too, bud.” Peter made a face. “How are you doing?”

“Okay. I mean, I’m not zoning out on _everything_ anymore, so that’s good.”

“Yeah. Though I was talking more about…emotionally.” Peter stood a bit awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable with this conversation.

“Kate’s dead.” Neal shrugged. “I think I’m still a bit in shock but Jordan, my pro tem, he’s very good at insulating me. I think I’ll feel it more when I’m not in here.”

Elizabeth nodded. “That’s probably true. The Center is like a whole different world. Especially when you’re new to it.”

Neal nodded. “Mozzie is coming later. Managed to get him on the list. Barely. Apparently, they have a thing about people who don’t carry ID.”

Peter snorted. “Like they could keep Mozzie out if he really wanted to get in.”

“I don’t know, security here is pretty tight. Might be tighter than super-max.” Neal’s eyes narrowed. “Speaking of prison. What’s the FBI got in store for me Peter? Everyone here keeps avoiding the question.” He looked Peter in the eye. “Or saying ‘special circumstances’ like that’s supposed to explain everything.”

Peter nodded, taking a deep breath and exhaling. “Your test results came back.”

“And?”

“Neal, you know there are levels of guides and sentinels, right?”

“Yeah. Everybody knows that.”

“Then you know I’m what is referred to as an ‘alpha’ Sentinel. All five-senses, scoring over an eight on all charts.”

Neal nodded. “Yeah.”

Peter shook his head. “You tested _out_ , Neal. High. Higher than me. That’s why you’ve been in isolation so long. That’s why you’ve got limited guests. A Sentinel as powerful as you…they don’t come along every day. The Center is scrambling, trying to find a match for a Guide. Before…”

“Before I zone permanently.” Neal swallowed, a chill roll down his spine.

“Yeah.” Peter sighed. “I can’t lose you, Neal. It was all I could do not go feral when that plane exploded because—you are a part of my pack.”

Neal froze, mouth opening. “Me?”

“Yeah, you.” He tapped him on the shoulder gently. “So when you get of here, you better believe you’ve got a place at the Bureau.”

 _When you get out._ “I thought the DOJ would want me back in prison.”

Peter snorted. “I’d like to see them try to get past the Council’s legal team. They’ve already got people working overtime for you.”

Neal blinked. “For me? Why?”

“Neal, what part of ‘powerful Sentinel” are you not understanding?” Elizabeth asked. “There are _maybe_ a dozen others with your power in the country. They won’t risk you going dormant, or slipping into a zone-coma.”

“You never committed any violent crimes, you served your sentence once—before that ill-advised escape attempt.” Peter shook his head. “What the Council wants…they usually get.”

“Oh.” Neal exhaled. “That’s…unexpected.”

“It’s a lot to take in, I know.” Elizabeth reached out squeezing his hand. “But you’re going to be all right, Neal. You might not think so right now, but I know you will.”

“Thanks, Elizabeth.” Neal managed to smile. “You lucked out, Peter. Elizabeth is an awesome Guide.”

“You’re going to get someone wonderful to,” Elizabeth said. “I’m sure of it.”

“I really hope your right.”

Though the unspoken fear gripped him. What if he _couldn’t_ Bond? He still hadn’t really accepted that Kate was dead. Hadn’t accept that his whole life had upended.

What if it came down to the line and…he just couldn’t do it?

***

“I have to say, Neal, this abode might not be to the scale of June’s apartment, but at least it’s not prison.”

“And yet, I’m not allowed to leave.” Neal stared at the chess board with its gray and white pieces. “Your move, Moz.”

“I’m thinking.” Mozzie adjusted his glasses, looking up at his blue-eyed friend. “I still can’t quite believe where we are. I mean, Neal Caffrey, a Sentinel? Never would have guessed that. I mean, there are conmen _Guides_ , but Sentinels are kind of…hardwired, to be good. Military, police, you know.”

 _I wanted to be a cop once._ Neal swallowed. If he hadn’t gone down the road to a life of international crime and intrigue, maybe he would have come online under less…stressful circumstances. _Maybe._ Then again, maybe not. He’d never know now. Maybe though, he wouldn’t have met Kate. Wouldn’t have had to watch her die.

“Neal?”

Neal blinked, the pawn he’d been toying with was snapped in two. “Oh. Sorry Moz.”

“What were you thinking about?”

“Kate.” Neal swallowed. “I have nightmares about her. About the plane.” He shook his head. “My pro tem Guide, Jordan, he thinks I need therapy.” He pushed the broken pawn aside. “Peter and Elizabeth were here.”

“I passed Mr. and Mrs. Suit on the way in,” Mozzie replied.

“My testing came back, Moz.”

“Are the two things connected?”

“Peter broke the news.” Neal frowned. “Turns out I’m alpha-class, with prime potential.”

Mozzie blinked. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. Which means, that all the pro tem Guides in the world, aren’t going to be enough. I have to Bond, Moz. Or…”

“Or?”

“Or I could slip into a zone…and never come out.”

“And the Center is working to find someone for you? Right?”

“Of course.” Neal leaned back in his chair. “I’m sure they’ll do everything they can to find me someone before I my brain starts working against me.” He sighed. “Bonding is supposed to be this…experience. Like finding a soulmate.”

“And you just lost Kate.”

“I didn’t lose her, someone killed her. And I _want_ them.” He couldn’t help the growl. “They killed her and I’m going to find them.”

“Neal—”

“If I have to Bond to do it?” He looked up, meeting Mozzie’s concerned gaze. “Well, I guess that’s what I’ll do.”

Mozzie swallowed. This…this was not a good side of Neal.

And he had a feeling, that things were only going to get worse before they got better.

 

 


	2. Introductions

“Are we done?” Neal glanced at Jordan. “I’m getting a headache.”

“With this? Yes. But your doctor tells me you haven’t eaten today. Are you having trouble with taste?”

Neal sighed. “No.”

“Then why aren’t you eating?” Jordan leaned on his elbows. “And don’t think I haven’t noticed a certain lack of personal hygiene this week.”

Neal shrugged. “Haven’t had much reason. You cut my visitations.”

“Because you zoned during Sentinel Burkes’ last visit. I think we both know you aren’t as stable as you pretend.”

Neal gave Jordan a sharp look. “And? We both know you might be a great Guide, but you aren’t _my_ Guide. And from everything I’ve been told it’s just a matter of time until my brain starts working against me so…excuse me if I’m not entirely myself.”

“I think that might be part of it, but it’s not _all_ of it.” Jordan’s dark eyes narrowed. “You suffered a very deep loss. You refuse to see a therapist and you’ve refused to let any Guides work on your emotional state.”

Neal remained silent.

“Well, I should inform you that we have found three potential matches for you. One New York resident, one from Ottawa and the third is from Miami. The first meeting is today with the Guide from Miami.”

“Okay.”

“So maybe a shower is in order,” Jordan prompted.

“If it will make you happy, fine.” Neal stood up. “How long do I have until Miami shows up? And do I get any other details?”

“Two hours. And no.” Jordan pointed at a covered tray on the suite’s small dining table. “And eat something.”

Neal sighed. “Fine.”

Jordan smiled, and left Neal alone.

“Great.”

***

Showered, shaved and having eaten at least part of his lunch, Neal was ushered into a meeting room off his suite to await the arrival of the mysterious guide from Miami. He wasn’t even sure if it was Miami Florida, or Ohio. Jordan hadn’t specified.

There was a bowl of fruit in the room. Smell, sight, taste…it was way too easy to lose himself in the minutiae of color or shape. The light on the wall next to door (the Center’s version of a doorbell) came on, Jordan entered a few minutes later with a man in a loose linen shirt and slacks. Neal had the immediate feeling that the man was more of a Hawaiian shirt kind of guy.

Ignoring that, there was just something about him that rubbed Neal the wrong way.

“Neal, I’d like you to meet—”

“No.” Neal shook his head. “Just…no.”

“Okay.” Jordan looked at the Guide. “Sorry.”

_One down._

***

Sara Ellis had never really cared much one way or another about her Guide status. Her shields had always been solid and empathy came in handy when you were in her line of work. So getting a call from the Center _insisting_ that she come in to meet a newly online Sentinel wasn’t exactly welcome. She knew she didn’t fit the typical mold. She wasn’t a vegetarian, she didn’t meditate daily and her version of non-violence involved a baton and non-lethal force.

The last time she’d had to go into the Center, the Head Guide had dressed her down for refusing to meet with another Sentinel. Sara just wasn’t one of those Guides who thought their whole life should revolve around their Sentinel.

But looking at the slim file she’d been sent in preparation for this meet…she couldn’t bring herself to say no. This wasn’t just another high-level Sentinel with a marginal match to her. They had an all-points match on their psych profiles, not unusual, and an eight of nine on bio-markers. Definitely unusual. Besides, the moment she’d gotten the call, her non-corporeal animal companion, (Better known as knacks), had appeared. Cypria didn’t usually make appearances, but the reddish gold Eurasian Lynx was always there when Sara needed her.

So she took the meeting, and hoped her knack knew what the hell they were getting into.

And then there was the file again.

An alpha level Sentinel on the cusp of a zone coma? She couldn’t ignore that. She wasn’t heartless. If she was all that was standing between a Sentinel and living death? Well, she was going to at least _try_.

She showered—using Sentinel-friendly products—and put on a dress that’s color could best described as cream if it had kissed green. She put her hair back and opted for nude heels. She felt a bit naked without jewelry and makeup, but if she wore she had no doubt the Center would just make her scrub it off before they let her in.

She took a cab to the Center, walking through the decontamination doors without even blinking. New York was too polluted to not require them. The Manhattan branch took on the highest-powered Sentinels and it showed. The floors were cream quartz in a satin finish, the walls matched in color. A huge curving desk took up the reception area with the Shield of the Guide Council emblazoned behind it. Sara always loved how her heels made a definite click against the stone. She marched up to reception, setting her bag down and waiting for the Guide acting as a receptionist to acknowledge her presence.

It took about thirty seconds longer than Sara would have liked.

“Name?”

“Sara Ellis. I have an appointment.” She tossed her head, glancing down when she spotted a flash of color at her feet. _Cypria._ Decidedly odd.

“Yes, I see your appointment, Guide Ellis.” The young man typed away. “Guide Khan will be here shortly to escort you to the meeting.” He looked up. “Have you meditated today? Washed?”

“I showered.” Sara stared at him, hard. “The rest is none of your damn business.” Her smile was positively feral.

He flinched.

“Sara, good to see you again.” Jordan approached, a smile on his face. “You look appropriate today.”

Sara buried her urge to punch him in the nose. “Thank you.”

“If you’ll come with me, we can get started.”

“Great.” She could hear Cypria’s claws clicking against the stone in time with her heels. Given Jordan’s lack of reaction, she was certain Cypria wasn’t letting the other Guide see her.

The soft buzz of white noise generators thrummed against her skin as Jordan swiped them into the closed Sentinel wing and through another decon room. The mist off scent removing spray made her sneeze. Cypria, being non-corporeal and all, blinked in amusement.

Despite Jordan’s outward face of geniality, Sara could feel wisps of uncertainty, worry and…dislike. Well, she’d never really liked him either.

“I’m surprised you came in,” Jordan said once they emerged from decon. “You’ve never really shown an interest in Bonding before.”

Sara shrugged. “What can I say? The match is strong.” Cypria made a soft squeaking sort of sound. “Besides, I saw the file. He needs a Bond or he’ll die. I’m not a monster.”

Jordan snorted. “I see.” They stopped outside a door, Jordan pressed a small button off to the side and then swiped his keycard to open it. She waited patiently for him to enter and then followed.

Cypria shot forward ahead of her.

Sara frowned. She could only remember one other time Cypria had been so…eager. Four years ago when they met…

“You have got to be kidding me.” She stared at Neal. Neal stared back. “ _You?_ ”

“You!” Neal returned.

Jordan was broadcasting _smug_. “I can see this isn’t going to work out,” he started. “Guide Ellis, please—”

Perhaps that would have been it except…except Cypria was twining around Caffrey’s ankles. Except for the dark gray and black lynx that appeared out of the air and butted heads with Cypria like an old friend.

Except she could _feel_ the draw. The one all Guides talked about. The urge. The need.

_Sentinel._ Her heart thrummed with it. Her shields wanted to fall all at once. It was impossible, infuriating—possible mad—but Neal Caffrey was her Sentinel.

“Oh, fuck.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Sara. Poor Neal.  
> But at least Cypria is happy.


	3. Decision Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neal and Sara meet and...talk.

“Perhaps you should leave, Guide Ellis,” Jordan said.

Neal didn’t want her to leave. She smelled like… _home._ And he was pretty sure he was seeing two large fluffy cats that had not been there before, and from the literature they’d been forcing on him, was relatively aware that the creatures were knacks. He knew without a doubt that the grey and black one was his, which left the coppery one as Sara’s.

And it was clear from the rumbling purrs that they were…happy.

It was more than that though. For all the built-up animosity, the hard feelings, the fact that she _testified against him_ in a court of law, well… The Sentinel, the feral part of him he’d never acknowledged, was shouting _Guide. My Guide. Mine._ He wanted to breathe in that scent all day. He wanted to taste her skin, pull the tie from her hair and let those red locks fall in a soft halo around her head. The color was beautiful. She was beautiful. With golden hazel eyes like the cat that was her companion.

He wanted to see if her skin was as soft as it looked. He _wanted._ Neal swallowed, hard, and tried to get himself under control. He’d always prided himself on his control. _And my emotions get the better of me anyway._

He looked into Sara’s eyes and he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she was his. He’d never been more sure of anything in his whole life.

“Sentinel?” Jordan prompted.

“She stays,” Neal growled. He knew that if Jordan tried to take Sara away, his feral instincts would kick in before he could stop them.

Jordan took a slow step back and looked to Sara. “Guide Ellis? Are you willing to stay and…make initial motions?”

Sara swallowed. If she tore away now, she was certain this wouldn’t end well. She had to at least _talk_ to Neal. Right? “I’ll stay,” she said. “For a full interview.”

Jordan nodded.

Sara stepped past the man and took a seat across from Neal, maintaining just enough distance between them to give an illusion of separation.

“So, you’re a Sentinel.” Sara made a face. “A powerful one.”

“Yeah.” Neal frowned.

“How’d it happen?”

“The plane with my…girlfriend on board, blew up. I was supposed to be on it.”

Sara blinked. Of everything she could have expected, that hadn’t been on the list. “How?”

“Someone,” Neal paused, looking down at his hands. His knack paused it’s play with Sara’s and leapt up into Neal’s lap. He couldn’t believe how _heavy_ the thing was for not being…well, real. The cat purred, smashing it’s— _his_ —head, against Neal’s chest. “Someone killed her.”

“I—I’m so sorry.” Past the initial reaction of her Guide half identifying her Sentinel, she could parse out what she was feeling form him. Grief. Dark, rage tinged grief. It was eating him up. It might even consume him faster than he could fall into a zone coma. Sending him on a feral rampage that ended…permanently. She watched his knack trying to comfort him, and wasn’t all that surprised to see Cypria follow suit. “Truly.”

“Thanks.” Neal combed his fingers through his knack’s dense fur. “How is it I can feel this? I mean…I’ve heard that some knacks are more solid than others but…he feels so real.”

“It’s all about your level of power. The stronger the Sentinel, the stronger the knack. I wouldn’t be surprised if that big boy could hurt mundanes if he had to.”

“Yours is pretty too. Is it, is it normal for the species to match?” He looked up at her. “They are the same, aren’t they?”

“Eurasian lynx,” Sara said. “And, no, it’s not typical. But since when have you ever been typical, Caffrey?”

“You don’t seem the type for typical either. I never thought…I mean, _you_ a Guide? You don’t exactly fit the postcard, do you? Not that I mind.”

“And you aren’t exactly the cookie cutter image of Sentinel.” She smiled. “If I Bond with you, I won’t be able to take you down for the Raphael you stole.”

Neal snorted. “That’s not a bonus I ever considered.”

“Surprising. I thought you considered all angles.”

“Not with this.” He shook his head, continuing to pet his purring knack. “I never expected this. _Never_. They didn’t even tell me your name before this meeting you know. Just…sprung it on me. I take it you were similarly in the dark?”

“I got a two-page file,” Sara said. “But no name.” She glanced sidelong at Jordan. “The folks at the Center don’t really like me all that much.”

“Did you accuse any of them of grand theft?”

“No.”

“Then I don’t know what they could possibly hold against you.” Some of that old Caffrey charm was coming through.

But Sara could still feel his pain. _He needs me._ She hadn’t walked into the Center, hadn’t looked at that file and thought, _I’m going to Bond today._ Now she was here though, and all she could think was, _If I don’t Bond with him soon, I’ll lose him._

And she _couldn’t_ lose him.

Cypria would never forgive her.

“What…what’s his name?” She nodded toward the lynx in his lap, who had now rolled over onto his back.

Neal blinked. “Uh…Claude.” He smirked.

“Cute.” Sara smiled. “Monet?”

Neal flushed. “Yeah.”

“I like it.”

“Thanks.” Neal took a deep breath. “So, what do you want to do, Sara?” He looked her in the eye again. “Do you want…me?” He had to put the ball in her court. It had to be her choice. He wasn’t sure why, but it was important to him.

Sara found herself in an unenviable position of having Neal’s life in her hands. _Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes._ Kept thudding through her head. If she said no, he would die. If she said yes…she had no idea how her life would change.

_The next big adventure?_ She took a deep breath.

“Yes.” Sara nodded. “Yes. I want you.” She could feel the mix of disdain and envy from Jordan. She turned toward the other Guide. “Please take this as my formal declaration to Bond.”

“Sentinel?” Jordan prompted.

Neal nodded. “You heard the lady.”

“All right, I’ll inform the Council and the Bonding Suite will be made available. Please remain in the room at arm’s length until I return.”

Neal watched Jordan leave and turned his attention back to Sara. “What does he think we’re going to do? Tear each other’s clothes off in the meeting room?”

Sara snorted. “He doesn’t have a high opinion of me, so, possibly.”

Neal continued petting Claude. “What’s going to happen now?”

“Well, it depends on the kind of Bond you want. This can be platonic or… _not_.”

Neal bit his lip. “I honestly don’t know, Sara. I don’t think I’ll know until we start this.”

“I think I would be all right…either way.” She raised her eyebrows somewhat suggestively. “You aren’t exactly hard on the eyes, after all.”

“Gee, thanks.” Neal shook his head. “I’m just—I don’t know what will happen, Sara.”

“I’m a big girl, Neal. I can handle myself.” She took a breath. “When I first came online, a powerful Sentinel who didn’t understand no, learned that the hard way. I broke a few of his bones and he…well he went dormant.”

Neal couldn’t help the growl.

Sara smiled. “I need you to understand that this would be a partnership, Neal. I am not, nor will I ever be, a wilting flower.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

***

The Center moved quickly, checking the stock of the nearest Bonding suite and quickly calling the Council, the Alpha Prime Sentinel Guide pair of New York and Blair Sandburg himself (who had asked to be kept in the loop about the newest prime-potential Sentinel). It was a blur of activity, with Guide and Sentinel kept just out of reach of one another. No one really wanted the Bonding to start in the hallway.

Not after the Incident last fall. There were things you just couldn’t unsee.

Neal was shuffled in first, and Sara close after him.

“Do you need a rundown of Bonding procedure?” Jordan asked.

“I think I still remember it from all of those classes you forced me to take.” She smiled. “So…get out.” She stared at him, hard.

And he scrambled out, taking the rest of the Center staff with him. The door closed behind him with a very final sounding click. The safety locks engaged and the hall light turned on to indicate Bonding in progress.

It would stay on until they pair was ready to come out of nesting. However long that took.

They circled each other. Sara slipped off her heels and pushed them aside with her foot. She lost any advantage of height by doing so, but this wasn’t about advantages or one-upmanship. This was a Bond they were entering as…well she hoped as equals.

Neal shuddered. Breathing in her scent, watching the shy smile tug across her lips as she pulled the tie from her hair and let it fall around her face. “You’re beautiful.”

She flushed. “Thank you.”

“And I like that you’re bossy. I even liked it five years ago…even if it wasn’t in my favor.”

Sara grinned.

“Can I…Can I touch you?” Neal reached out a hand, stopping short.

Sara took one bracing breath and slowly reached back. She paused, fingers trembling a hair’s breadth from his and then, exhaling, she took his hand.

Her life, _their_ life, would never be the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I believe the next chapter will be sexy bonding times. With Angst. Because I am awful and Neal is still in mourning.


	4. First Forging

“I just got a call,” Peter said, sitting down at the table with his paper.

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows at him and took a sip of coffee. “Oh?”

“Neal has agreed to a Bond.”

Elizabeth set her coffee cup down. “Really? So quickly too.”

“Apparently, he really hit it off with his second appointment.”  Peter rubbed his nose. “They expect the pair will be unavailable for at least a week.”

“Well, you remember _our_ nesting period.” Elizabeth smiled. “Did you get the name of the Guide?”

“Yeah.” Peter smirked. “Sara Ellis. She’s an insurance investigator who testified against Neal at his trial.”

Elizabeth snorted. “Really?”

“Yup.” Peter grabbed his coffee cup. “Should be an interesting match.”

“Should be.” She shook her head. “We should have them over for dinner once Neal’s cleared from the Center.”

“Sure.” Peter made a face. “Dinner.”

“It’ll be fun. Besides, we both know that he’s going to end up getting interrogated for hours by Sentinel Prime Hill. She’s not much for shenanigans.”

Elizabeth shook her head, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “I like Sentinel Hill. She’s firm, but fair.”

“Well, we’ll see how it goes. If Neal comes out of it will have his limbs intact, I’ll call it a win.”

***

The heat of her hand, the _smell_ of her. He stepped closer and brought her hand toward his and kissed the palm of her hand. Her pulse beat against his lips. He smiled into her palm, moving his lips up to kiss her wrist. Her skin was like velvet. Neal breathed deeply, memorizing her scent, grounding himself on it. It felt like…like the floor was finally coming back underneath him.

Sara sighed softly, feeling the Bond begin to form. She’d read the literature, attended the classes but…nothing could ever prepare you for something that felt like _this._ Like a hundred Christmas mornings wrapped in sunshine and chocolate pastries.

“Neal,” she whispered.

He licked his lips and put a hand on her waist, tugging her closer and kissing her full on the lips. “Sara.”

Everything tingled. Warmth flooding her cheeks and pooling in her stomach. She felt the bond strengthen further as Neal honed in on the sound of her heartbeat. He licked at her lips.

“You taste…indescribable.”

Her heart was racing as he slipped his hands toward the zipper at the back of her dress, tugging down in one smooth motion. He let her step back long enough to slip out of the dress, eyeing her up and down as he took in the black lace she was wearing underneath.

“You expect this to go this way?” he asked.

She shrugged and smiled. “You can never be too careful. Besides, I look good in this lingerie.”

He licked his lips. “Yes, you do.”

For the moment at least, his pain was buried in something else. Want. Need. A bit of lust. She couldn’t predict what he would be feeling after but…sex wasn’t love. They’d figure out where they stood with that sort of thing…later.

She hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her lace underwear and slowly slipped them down. Her bra followed in smooth efficiency.

Neal took a deep breath. “You…you are beautiful.”

She spun slowly in place, letting him get a look at every part of her. Sight fell into place, strengthening the bond further.

“Taste and touch left, Neal.” She quirked an eyebrow, sauntering toward the bed. “You ready to take the plunge?”

He couldn’t help his growl, stalking forward, shedding his clothes as he went. The urge to Bond was finally overriding any lingering doubts. He back her onto the bed, following her with a wicked smile, kissing anything he could reach. He ran his fingers of her thighs, gripping the soft skin hard enough to leave brief indentations.

Sara moaned softly, reveling in the sensation of calloused fingertips drawing patterns over sensitive skin. His pushed her legs apart and began drawing more patterns on her inner thighs, kissing the dimple in her knee. Neal worked his way up, noting the differences between the skin over muscle and the skin over fat. The slick shiny skin of scar tissue. The downy soft hair on her arms—the sleek smoothness of her red curls.

“Neal,” Sara breathed. “Finish it.”

He nibbled at the nape of her neck, licking after. Tasting the sweat and salt, the somewhat chemical flavor of decon spray. He could feel her heart beating in his head, faster as he continued to kiss and lick, lapping and sucking at her breasts. Teeth grazing over the sensitive nubs. And down further, kissing the inside of her thighs and moving steadily inward until he took a taste of her hot, wet, center.

Nothing had ever felt so perfect and before Sara had fully embraced the sensations of Neal’s tongue and slick fingers, she came.

“Finished?” Neal teased.

“You know what I meant,” she returned, grasping at the blankets for leverage. “So close, so close.” They were a hairsbreadth away from a Bond. Just a little more…

Neal crawled back up her body, kissing all the way. Sara could feel the smooth skin of his erection teasing her own arousal. “All right, bossy.” He pressed his lips to hers, letting her taste herself from his lips—and slowly pushed inside her. His teeth grazed at her neck, teasing. There were other, less feral, ways of completing taste, but Neal wasn’t in the headspace to opt for anything else. Besides, a bite was traditional. As his teeth broke her skin, the copper/iron taste of her blood completed his imprint of her. The Bond snapped into place with a sharp _twang_ of mental pleasure, rolling Sara through another orgasm. And Neal’s slow, steady thrusting was only keeping it going.

She let all her shields falls away, embracing the Bond, bathing him in warmth and satisfaction. _My Sentinel._

_My Guide._

She’d managed to chase away the darkness.

Chase away the grief.

At least, for now.

***

Sara woke up in a tangled, sweat-sticky mess of sheets. The first thing she really noticed though, was a sudden influx of emotions. Not Neal’s. They were coming from every direction, at varying strengths. She checked her shields and found them all in place and yet—she was still picking up strong empathic reads.

Her head throbbed. She clutched her head and groaned.

Neal pulled her closer. “What’s wrong?” he mumbled.

“My head…”

Without a word, he started massaging her temples. It felt good, but her headache wasn’t a reaction to a physical issue. Neal seemed to sense this, scenting at her neck. She felt a thrum through the bond as he unconsciously lent his strength to her shields.

The emotional barrage stopped.

“Hmm. That’s better.”

“Your shields were fine, I thought.” He sniffed. “What happened?”

She turned to face him. “I think…unrealized potential? You are an _alpha_ Sentinel, Neal. I didn’t ever care enough to find out how strong I could be. I guess I’ll have to find out now.” She smoothed a lock of hair away from his face.

“I guess so. You think that will piss Jordan off more than he already is?”

“You caught that?” She wrinkled her nose.

“I read people pretty well,” Neal admitted. “His micro-expressions were not positive.”

Sara smiled. “They wouldn’t be.” She sighed. “What time is it?”

“After nine. Are you hungry?” Neal had a sudden urge to see to it she was fed…possibly by hand. He was also tempted to fill the bath and help her into it. Wash her back. It was, he knew, part of the nesting urge. To care for his Guide, protect her, pamper her.

“A bit.”

“I’ll get you something and then…maybe you’d like a bath?”

Sara blinked. “Are you offering to assist?”

“Maybe.” He slipped out of the bed and padded over to the suite’s kitchen, pulling a bowl of pre-cut fruit from the fridge and a couple bottles of water before walking back.

Sara sat up, accepting a bottle of water and sipping. “Breakfast in bed? A girl could get used to that.”

He smiled. “A Sentinel should provide for their Guide, right?” He eyed the large bruise on her neck. “Especially after…well.” He nodded at the injury.

Sara touched it absently, wincing. “It’s okay. I’ve had worse.”

“That’s not something a Sentinel really wants to hear about his Guide.”

Sara smiled. “You might have to.”

“And if I, say, want to rip someone’s arms off for hurting you?” He sat down, putting the bowl of fruit between them.

“I might have to tell you settle down.” She picked up a piece of pineapple and popped it into her mouth.

“I see.” He shook his head. “What about those two?” he nodded toward their knacks, curled up together on the suite’s couch.

“Nothing you can do about that. Just be grateful they can’t have kittens.”

Neal snorted and shook his head. “Oh, I am.” He picked up a grape and held up to her lips. “This is going to take some getting used to.”

She let him feed her the grape, chewing slowly and swallowing. “That’s what nesting is for. Apple next, please.”

With a soft smile, a thrum of warm emotion, he obliged her request.

There would be time enough to worry about what came next after breakfast. Or lunch—or sex. It could wait. For now, Neal just wanted to bask in the feeling of the Bond, of steady footing, of _control._ Whatever came next, at least he wouldn’t face it alone.

Good thing too, as what came next was a meeting with Sentinel Prime Hill and her Guide. And while Neal might not have known that Kathryn Hill was New York State’s Sentinel, she was very much aware that Neal Caffrey was now a Sentinel.

And she was looking forward to seeing her godson again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kathryn Hill is Ellen Parker. Side note.


	5. Unfinished and New Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neal finally gets to leave the center and begin reconnecting with his life.

Sara woke up to Neal thrashing in his sleep. His emotions were clear, fear, anguish. She quickly pushed a wave of calm through their Bond, gently resettling him until the thrashing stopped and his emotional landscape levelled out. She smiled, pushing his hair back from his forehead.

“You’re going to be okay, Neal,” she said softly. “Of course, I still want that Raphael, but we’ll work it out.” She pressed her lips to his forehead and curled up next to him, taking comfort in his heart beating beneath her ear.

***

Their nesting lasted the usual week, though there was perhaps nothing truly _usual_ about it. Most pairs were stuck in a fog of sex and bliss. Neal and Sara weren’t _not_ having sex, but they were also dealing with Neal’s grief and post-traumatic stress. Even if he wouldn’t admit to it, Sara knew all the signs. She’d just have to keep a close eye on her Sentinel—and force him to go to therapy.

They had several appointments lined up before they could go about the business of merging their lives outside of the Center. Sara was still lobbying for keeping her townhouse. The first appointment of the day was with Sentinel Hill, who had come down to the center just for that purpose.

The Center’s director was kind of enough to grant the use of his office—not that he’d had much choice.

Sentinel Hill was a grandmotherly sort, not that stopped her from intimidating unruly young Sentinels. Sara went in first, which delayed Neal momentarily from catching sight of Sentinel Hill. But when he did, his jaw dropped.

“Kathryn?”

“Hello, Neal.” She smiled. “Funny how small the world can be, isn’t it?”

Sara blinked, eyeing the Sentinels in some confusion. “ _You know each other?_ ”

“Why yes, we do.” Kathryn Hill, Sentinel Prime of New York City and, once upon a time, Neal George Caffrey’s legal guardian. Though it had been Neal _Bennett_ at the time. Neal swallowed. “It’s good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too, kiddo.” Kathryn shook her head. “Honestly, I wasn’t completely sure it was you when they gave me your name. It’s been longer than I’d like.”

“I—I’m sorry about that.”

She shook her head. “I can’t entirely blame you for running off the way you did. You were too young to have all of that dumped into your lap.”

Neal sighed. When he was seventeen, working his ass off to go to college and join the police academy, his mom got drunk and spilled the whole sordid tale. His father, the man he’d idolized, had been a dirty cop. A murderer.

And Neal ran.

Sara could sense the twinge of distress from her Sentinel and reached out, taking his hand and leaning closer.

He flashed a tremulous smile and turned back to Kathryn. “It doesn’t matter now.”

“I suppose not.” She folder her hands and leaned forward. “I’ve looked over the results of your tests. You may know that it’s common practice to keep an eye on prime level sentinels. I make a point of being in regular contact with all of the ones in my district.”

“Peter mentioned it, yes.”

“You aren’t just _any_ Sentinel though. How about we start with dinner? Once a month.” Her tone was pleasant enough, but Neal recognized the steely gaze that meant he was going to have to do something whether he liked it or not.

“I’d love to.” He flashed a smile. “ _We’d_ love to.” He glanced at Sara. “Right?”

“Of course.” Sara smiled. “Who wouldn’t want to have dinner with the Sentinel Prime of New York? I assume this will be with your Guide?”

“Yes, Jonah will be there. He’s looking forward to meeting Neal, actually.”

“Jonah? And where is your Guide? Doesn’t he usually come to your meetings?”

Kathryn smiled. “He’s on shift at the hospital, he’s a surgeon.”

Sara blinked. “Oh.”

“Now, why don’t we get down to some of the finer details of your release, Neal. First off. Where are you planning to live?”

“Uh…” Neal frowned. “I hadn’t really thought about it.”

“My place is all Sentinel-grade. Big enough for two.” Sara gave him a look. “Where have you been living?”

“An apartment.” He shrugged. “I’m not sure if it’s Sentinel-grade or not. I haven’t been able to see June since I got in here.”

“And June is?”

“My landlady.” Neal looked over at Kathryn. “I know it’s common practice for Sentinels and Guides to live together but is it…mandatory?”

“Tell me, honestly, do you _really_ think you could live apart?” Kathryn raised her eyebrows at him.

As he rolled the idea around in his head, that feral part of him snarled in disagreement. “Okay, no. Probably not.”

Sara smiled in satisfaction. “For _now,_ why don’t we stay at mine? We can argue about it later.”

“Sounds fair.” Neal had a feeling that Sara was more than a little used to getting her way when it came to…well, everything. Well, he never could back down from a challenge.

“All right, we’ll put Sara’s address down for now. You do have to keep the Center updated though if you decide to change your residence. Just for the first year, mind you.”

Neal shrugged. “It’s better than having a tracking device strapped to my ankle all the time.”

“I thought you might see it that way.” Kathryn smiled and opened her desk drawer, retrieving two small boxes and setting the down at the edge of the desk closest to Neal and Sara. “These are for you.”

Sara knew exactly what was in the little black box closest to her. She’d never imagined herself in this position. Bonded. It wasn’t a path she thought she’d ever have to tread. She reached out, plucking the box from the table and sliding off the lid. Inside, resting on a puff of black was a sleek silver bracelet engraved with an ID number and the Guide version of the Center’s logo. It marked her as a Bonded Guide. They weren’t _required_ but they were recommended. Especially in case of emergencies.

Neal peered at the bracelet and reached for his own box.

A similar bracelet rested inside. It was a bit thicker that Sara’s and a band of black enamel went straight through the middle, cut in half by a silver square stamped with the Sentinel version of the Center logo and inset with an ID number.

There were other markers Sentinel/Guide pairs could wear, ranging from necklaces, rings and even tie pins. It was a matter of taste. Sentinels had slightly different rules about wearing markers. Markers came with the uniform for military, police or federally employed Sentinels, but for those few in the private sector it was still a requirement. Peter tended to wear a tie pin.

Neal picked up the bracelet and without a word, Sara helped with the clasp. He returned the favor.

Kathryn smiled. “Well, now that _that_ is done. There are some forms to sign and I believe Blair Sandburg and Jim Ellison are here to see you.”

Neal paled a touch. “Why?”

Kathryn snorted. “Why? You know why, Neal. He wants to get a look at the kid that might be Alpha-Prime of the east coast someday.”

Neal blinked. “The _east coast?_ ”

“That’s right.” She smiled. “Shall we?” She pushed the papers toward them. “I’m sure you want to wrap up so you have time to get settled in at home before your dinner plans tonight with Sentinel Burke.”

Neal wasn’t really surprised. He was starting to realize, there wasn’t much Kathryn _didn’t_ know.

***

The rest of the day passed in a bit of blur for Neal. Much as his time nesting had gone. Sure, there’d been the requisite, _where are you from’s_ and other typical “getting to know you questions” but now, sitting at the Burke’s dinner table with Sara at his side, he was realizing how little he actually knew about his Guide.

Sure, there was the opposition research he’d done after she’d testified against him, the little things he’d figured out during nest (she hated papaya’s and _loved_ Chinese food) but he knew very little about her family. Her dreams and ambitions…and that was a problem.

Sara could feel Neal’s uncertainty, and to no small degree, shared it. She was nervous about the whole dinner thing to start with, and beyond Neal’s dossier and wine choices, she was also suffering from a distinct lack of personal history. Something she quietly vowed to correct at her earliest opportunity.

“I hear you met Ellison,” Peter said, breaking up the lull in the conversation. “How was that?” He gave Neal a significant sort of smirk.

Neal shrugged. “It was…interesting. He’s a powerful Sentinel. Dr. Sandburg is…eccentric. But they were both very encouraging.”

Under the table, Sara place a hand on his leg and squeezed. “They were,” she added. “I never really expected to meet either one of them, I mean, they don’t bring out _the_ Sentinel/Guide pair for just anyone. I’ve never really been well-liked at the Center.”

Elizabeth shook her head. “Jordan Khan wasn’t the best choice for running day to day. He’s got a thing about non-traditional Guides.”

“Exactly.” Sara gestured toward Elizabeth. “I mean, you skip out on a couple guided meditations and refuse to go vegetarian and somehow that makes you the worst Guide ever.”

Elizabeth smiled. “Yeah. I know exactly what you mean. I think I got lucky that I emerged when I was teenager back in Illinois. The local Guide Center was great. I only really had to deal with Jordan when I was moving here and right after Peter and I Bonded.”

“What’s the story there, anyhow?” Sara asked. “I mean, you know our story already.”

Peter made a face. “It’s not reall—”

“Oh no,” Elizabeth interrupted. “This is a great story. See, the art gallery I was working at got robbed and Peter was the agent assigned to take my statement. I mean, I _knew_ right away that he was my Sentinel but it took him…a bit longer.”

“I was just trying to take it slow,” Peter protested. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Uh huh.” Elizabeth shook her head. “Anyhow, I caught on to his surveillance a couple days later and invited him out for dinner. Three weeks later we Bonded and a year after that Peter and I decided we also wanted to get married.” Her nose wrinkled. “It was very sweet.”

Peter had turned an interesting shade of tomato.

“Surveillance, Peter?” Sara raised her eyebrows.

“I just…I was nervous.”

Neal laughed. “It’s nice to know that even the great Peter Burke has a weakness.”

“It’s such a shame I can’t put you back in prison.” Peter shook his head. “I’m going to go get some coffee. Neal? Why don’t you help me?”

“Sure thing, Peter.” Neal’s smile didn’t diminish in the slightest. He followed the other Sentinel into the kitchen to help with coffee and pie. They didn’t even really need to talk to communicate, their yearlong partnership combined with Neal’s new Sentinel status had them working together in quiet precision.

“Peter,” Neal said after plating the last piece of pie. “Is there any news about Kate?”

Peter glanced over at Neal, trying to gauge his emotional state. His voice had been calm. His heart rate was steady. “Not yet. The FAA is still piecing together the wreckage. But we’re looking. We’ll find out what happened, I promise.”

Neal swallowed. “Thanks, Peter.” He took a breath. “What—what’s going to happen now? With the FBI and all that? I’ve been so wrapped up in Sentinel training and Bonding…I mean to ask about it sooner.”

“Well, White Collar would be happy to have you. As would about a dozen other agencies, including the SITF.” The Sandburg Center’s own personal investigative task force. “You still need some time, Neal. For training and…and for everything else. Look at all of your options first. Don’t make an impulsive decision, okay?” Peter placed his hand on Neal’s shoulder and looked him in the eye.

Neal took a moment before nodding. He felt, more than ever, the connection he’d always had to Peter. That thing he couldn’t quite explain that put the agent in his orbit over and over again. Now though, he had a word for it. _Pack._ Peter had told Neal he was a part of his pack and with a touch of surprise, Neal realized that the opposite was also true. His Sentinel had claimed Peter and Sara—Mozzie and June—before he’d ever come online.

What surprised him more though, was that he wasn’t sure that that little circle had included Kate.

“I just…I have to know what happened to her, Peter. I have to know who killed her.”

“I know.” Peter did something then he rarely did, reaching up and ruffling Neal’s hair. “Come on, the ladies are waiting for dessert.”

Neal nodded, quickly readjusting his hair and grabbing the tray of pie plates. He felt a soft query as Sara tugged on their Bond, no doubt responding to his flash of emotion. As he walked back into the dining room, he flashed her as genuine a smile as he could manage.

Somehow, he was going to sort out the tangle that had become his life. He was going to figure out what this whole _Bond_ thing meant in the long run and he was going to _choose_ what he did with his new found skills. But first, he was going to find out what happened that day at the air strip. He was going to find out who killed Kate.

And then, if his Sentinel side had anything to say about it, he was going to make them pay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for all the comments. I really appreciate it. 
> 
> Right now, I have strep so I'm sort of...feeling terrible, but I wanted to get an update in before the end of the year. Hoping to update more regularly now that some work madness has settled.


	6. Testing Bonds

Sara was asleep, her resting heartbeat comforting to Neal’s Sentinel. And yet—he was awake. He couldn’t pinpoint the reason until he heard the creak of a floorboard and he latched onto an unfamiliar heartbeat, and unfamiliar scent. _Someone is in the house._

He gently shook Sara awake, unconsciously sending a wave of calm through their Bond.

She blinked, rolling over and peering at him in confusion.

He put a finger to his lips. “Someone is in the house,” he whispered. Sara raised her eyebrows and carefully slipped out of bed, retrieving a gun from her nightstand.

Neal raised his eyebrows and slipped after her, putting the bed between them and the bedroom door. “Why do you have a gun?” he whispered.

“Just in case.”

The shadow of a man—a man with a gun—flickered along the wall as he strode into the bedroom doorway. Neal had been told somewhat academically that any time his Guide was in danger he was at risk for a feral event, that the Sentinel inside would leap into protective mode. He just, didn’t quite expect that it would have him pulling the gun from Sara’s hands, pushing her behind him in a move that even in the moment he found a bit chauvinistic. A low growl escaped his lips.

“Neal,” Sara’s tone stayed soft, she placed a hand on his back, reassuring him that she was in one piece.

The man came into the bedroom, the light from the streetlamps more than enough to give Neal a clear look at him. Neal might not have _liked_ guns, but he did know how to use them and right then, his distaste was overpowered by his instinct to protect Sara.

He stood up, pointing the gun at center mass. “Who the hell are you?” he demanded.

“You were supposed to be alone,” the man replied, eyes fixed on Sara.

“Sorry to disappoint you,” she replied. “But as you can see, my _Sentinel_ is really not okay with you pointing a gun at me.”

The man paled at the word _Sentinel_.

“You should put the gun down,” Sara said. “I’ll call the cops and they’ll put you in custody, but that’s probably better than what you’ll get from Neal. You do know that he’d be justified in shooting you, right now.” Sara grabbed her phone from the night stand and dialed. “Your choice though, of course.”

Neal had to admire Sara’s boldness, but he could also feel what she was doing. Projecting calm like a thick fog throughout the room. _Calm, sleep, calm._ It flowed around him for the most part, but he could see the gunman’s eyes close, head lolling. Moments later, he was on the floor and Neal rushed forward, taking the gun.

He glanced at Sara. “That was amazing.”

She shrugged. “I…I didn’t actually know I could do that.” She took a deep breath. “There are some zipties in my bag.”

“Got it.” Neal put the guns on the bed and quickly ziptied the gunman’s hands and feet. He padded down the hall to the front door, peering on the window and spotting a town car idling in front of the house. He couldn’t see the driver. Without consciously making the decision, he dialed up his hearing, keying onto the driver’s heartbeat… _he’s on the phone._

“He’s inside now, Mr. Halbridge,” the man said. “Shouldn’t be much longer now.”

Who the hell was Halbridge? And why did he want Sara dead?

Seconds later, sirens blasted to life and Neal tried to dial back.

Which was how Sara found him moments later as distress bled through the Bond. He’d fallen to his knees and had his hands clapped over his ears, a clear indication of what he was zoning on. Sara dropped down next to him, putting her hands on his. There was little point trying to talk to him given what he’d zoned on. She rubbed his hands gently, getting close to engage scent and touch at the same time.

She was definitely going to yell at someone over those sirens later. She’d _specifically_ called SITF to avoid that. It looked like they’d sent NYPD in advance though, and it was all she could hope for that someone had bothered to tell them there was a Sentinel on the premises feeling protective. There was a loud knock at the door—the police. Sara sighed, unwilling to leave Neal in a zone. She was also really not okay with letting the cops into the house _with_ Neal in a zone. People talked a lot about the protective side of Sentinels…they generally forgot that the same held true for Guides.

She might not go feral, but she could and _would_ blast anyone who came too close with enough emotional baggage to send them into a tailspin.

Instead of opening the door, she shouted. “My Sentinel is in a zone. I need you to either back away from the door or send in a team from SITF.”

“How about me instead?” Peter shouted back.

“Agent Burke?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay!”

Peter cracked open the door and peered inside. “Where’s the gunman?”

“Bedroom, tied up.” Sara turned back to Neal. “I don’t want anyone else in here until Neal is back up.”

“Got it.” Peter ducked back out to talk to the cops before heading into the house, sliding past Sara and Neal and taking charge of the trussed up gunman.

Sara continued to work on Neal, petting his hair and then running her nails along the inside of his arm for a textural difference. A few seconds later, he finally blinked, shaking his head in confusion as he focused back on Sara.

“What happened?”

“You zoned. What were you listening to when the sirens turned up?” She kept a hand on his arm to anchor him until he was a bit steadier.

“The driver of the town car that was parked out front. He was in on this. He was talking to someone called Halbridge.”

“Halbridge?” Sara raised her eyebrows. “Looks like I rubbed him the wrong way. Come on, let’s get you into the living room so the cops can secure our prisoner.”

Neal nodded and let Sara help him into the living room. Peter peeked in on them a moment later.

“Everything okay here? Can I let the rest of the team in now?”

“Yeah,” Sara nodded. “And Neal has a lead for us.”

“Great.” Peter flashed a smile. “That’ll make this a bit easier. Still, I want you both in protective custody while we handle this.”

“That’s fine with me,” Neal said.

“I don’t think that’s really necessary,” Sara said a beat after. “I mean, we did handle it.”

Neal looked at her. “I know you can take care of yourself, but I’m not going to be able to settle knowing someone broke in here.” His hackles were still up. “Sorry.”

Sara sighed. “Fine. We’ll go to the FBI then. Just let me pack a bag and get my files.”

“Your files?” Peter asked.

“How else are we going to figure out why Peter Halbridge is trying to kill me?”

***

Sara was pretty insistent that she didn’t want to go to a safe house, which was actually okay with Neal. The walls of the White Collar bureau office were comfortable to him, it felt like home ground. His Sentinel settled easily the moment he stepped off the elevator. He was still keyed pretty close to Sara’s heartbeat, and he didn’t want her out of his sight, but it was better.

Jones and Diana were already there when they arrived, directing Sara’s files to the conference room while Sara orchestrated the set up like a dainty redhaired dictator. Claude was stalking the perimeter of the conference room, but Cypria seemed content to perch on top of the table  and watch. Much like her Guide.

“This isn’t exactly how I figured we’d see you again,” Diana remarked. “How are you feeling, Neal?”

“Tense. Frustrated. Safer here though. I suppose that’s a territorial thing though. Some part of me must recognize the office as…territory.”

Diana smirked. “You put any real thought into what you’ll do now that you’re free and clear of the anklet?”

“There’s apparently some push for me to be the alpha of the east coast.”

Diana gave him a _very_ disbelieving look. “Are you serious?”

“The New York Alpha is.” Neal shrugged. “Sentinel Ellison was pretty serious too. It’s just up to me whether or not I want to stay with the FBI or go to SITF. Honestly, I haven’t decided. I’m still trying to get used to…all of this.” He looked at Sara. “To having a Guide. Being a Sentinel. It’s not exactly something I prepped for.”

“I get that.” Diana was a latent Sentinel herself, but Neal had little doubt the woman was prepared for the eventuality of her emergence. Diana was very much the “be-prepared” type.

Jones fled the conference room, eyes a bit wide and made a beeline for Neal. “Caffrey, your Guide is…overwhelming.”

“Yeah…” Neal shrugged. “I’ll go in and see if I can calm her down.”

“I appreciate that.”

Neal ducked into the conference room and eyed Sara. “You know you’re terrifying the FBI agents, right? You’re emoting all over the place.”

Sara blinked, turning toward Neal. “Huh?”

“I can feel it. You need to calm down.” He stepped forward and took her hands into his. “Where are your shields at anyhow?”

She took a breath, closing her eyes and reaching for the mental map of her shields. They were a bit shaky. No doubt because of that empathic attack she’d subjected the gunman to. Which, honestly, she still wasn’t sure how she’d managed _that_. She knew, academically, that Alpha level Guides had the ability to significantly impact mundanes with empathic projection, but she’d never _done it._ She was going to have to check in with the Center and see about having herself retested.

That should be fun.

She could see the fractures now and carefully patched them, adding another layer over top before opening her eyes again, meeting Neal’s blue stare.

“Better?” she asked.

“Much.” He smiled. “You were scaring Jones.”

“Oops.” She made an apologetic face. “I guess I’m still getting used to being all amped up from the Bond.”

 “It was pretty impressive how you took that guy down though.”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “It was.”

“I love the lack of false modesty.”

Sara smiled. “A girl should always acknowledge her strengths.” She straightened. “Now, how about you help dig through these files?”

“How could I say no to you?”

***

They seemed to be making some progress by the time Peter insisted the pair retire to one of the FBI’s recovery rooms. They’d become standard practice in nearly every law enforcement agency once Sentinel/Guide pairs became a regular part of the community. Having a place where they could go free of any distractions to center and reconnect was integral to that.

The important thing was, it had a bed.

By the time the pair was back up, SITF reps were in the house. More than that, Kathryn Hill was there with her Guide in tow. The slightly younger man was quite a bit taller than his Sentinel and dressed casually. From the slight scent of disinfectant, Neal suspected he’d just gotten off a shift.

“Neal,” Kathryn sounded relieved. “How is that you _just_ left the Center and already someone tries to kill you?”

“Technically, Mr. Black was there to kill Sara,” Neal corrected.

“That’s not comforting, Neal.” Kathryn shook her head. “Agent Burke, please tell me you’re putting my godson into protective custody until this is resolved.”

“Godson?”

Neal sighed. “Yes, Peter, Kathryn Hill is my godmother. Moving on, I don’t see why I can’t work this case. The driver never saw me and it’s obvious that Sara’s new Bonding isn’t common knowledge.” Besides, he sort of had this strange urge to tear Halbridge’s arms off. For some reason. The violent urges were a new thing for Neal, but he was pretty sure he could get used to it.

No one was going to send assassins after his Guide.

“Backing up a minute here,” Peter said. “ _Godson._ ”

Kathryn smiled. “Neal is my godson, yes. I lost track of the little scamp for a few years but you better believe I’m not going to make that mistake again.”

Neal sighed.

“This is a story I’m going to want to hear.”

“Then you should come over for dinner,” Kathryn smiled. “You and your wife, Neal and Sara—it’ll be good.”

Neal sighed again—and his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, eyeing the message on the screen.

_Got us an in at the hangar._

  * _M_



Neal kept his face neutral while he replied.

_Stuck at FBI. Protective Custody, long story. Will update soon._

He stuck his phone back into his pocket and noticed Sara’s eyes on him.

“Coffee, Neal?”

“Yeah.” He nodded and the pair slipped away from Kathryn and Peter to pour coffee and snag a couple of bagels from the box one of the probie’s had brought in. Breakfast definitely took precedent right now.

“You think they’ll _really_ let you play out in the field with locked in here?” Sara asked, spreading cream cheese on her bagel.

“Probably not.”

Sara shook her head. “I know it’s weird, it’s weird for me too, but you’re going to have to get used to this whole joined at the hip thing for the time being. After things have settled we’ll manage to be apart like other Bonded pairs, but right now both our Guide and Sentinel halves feel threatened. I mean, Cypria and Claude haven’t vanished since they came out last night.”

“Fair point.” He eyed his knack, currently napping in the sunshine. “You think I’ll go feral if we’re apart.”

“I _know_ you will.” She gave him a look. “Sit, eat. We’ll get Halbridge, I know it.”

Halbridge would go down and then, then he’d get to work finding out who killed Kate.

“And don’t think I don’t know that there’s something going on with you.” She looked him in the eye. “I can feel it, Neal.”

He shrugged. “Just…thinking about how this started.” He made a vague gesture between them. “About Kate.”

“The girlfriend who died.”

“Yeah.”

Sara bit her lip. “Neal, I’m your Guide, that means for better or worse. And I’m not going to let you go off on a revenge filled crusade so…that means I’m in. All the way. I will help you find out who killed Kate and in return, you will not go off murdering people. Okay?”

Neal swallowed. “Okay.”

“Promise me, Neal.”

“I promise.”

Sara nodded. “Good. Because now that I have a Sentinel, I’d really prefer not to lose them. To lose you.”

“I don’t want to lose you either.” He looked her in the eyes. “I just…I feel like I’ve known you forever and I barely know you. I want to know you.”

“Well, we’ve got plenty of time to do that now. Given that we’re stuck in the FBI offices.” She quirked a smile. “We could play twenty questions—no lies.”

“All right, twenty questions. No lies.” He took a bite out of his bagel and gestured for her to go first.

Sara smiled even wider. “Is your name _really_ Neal Caffrey?”

_Of course_ , Neal thought, _she had to start with a hard one_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've actually pretty much figured out the overall plot arc. So, huzzah!


	7. Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The investigation into Kate's death begins.

“So you actually gave him a lollipop?” Sara shook her head. “That seems kind of risky.”

“Believe me, Mozzie didn’t let me hear the end of it for weeks.” Neal smiled. “It was a calculated risk.”

“It was you showing off,” Peter corrected from the doorway. “We tracked down when Mr. Black was hired to kill you, it seems to line up with your investigation of one of Halbridge’s properties, Ridgemont.”

Sara frowned. “It was the first place Halbridge live when he came to New York.” She dug through one of her boxes, coming up with the file. “Of all his properties, it’s the only one he owns he’s never renovated. I thought it was odd but…” She shrugged.

“There’s something there he doesn’t want anyone to find.”

Peter smiled. “We’ll put a team in place, I’m sure we can find a way to spook Halbridge into moving on Ridgemont, when he does we’ll find out what he’s hiding.”

“Great.” Sara glanced at Neal. “The faster this gets settled the faster we can get out of here.”

“I’ve got no argument there…though I’m not so sure moving back into your place is the best idea either.”

“Is that Sentinel Neal talking or thief Neal?”

“ _Alleged_ thief,” he corrected without losing a beat. “And…both.” He shrugged. “I can’t help it. Common sense says that when someone tries to kill you, you don’t go _back_ to the place where they tried to kill you.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Peter shook his head. “All right kids, we’re putting in a lunch order, you want anything?”

Neal blinked, glancing at his watch in surprise. “I didn’t realize it was so late.”

“You two seemed like you were bonding,” Peter replied. “Lunch?”

“Chinese?” Neal asked, glancing at Sara.

“I can live with that.”

“Done.” Peter nodded. “You need anything else, Sara? I’ve got Elle stopping by later and she said she’d take a list.”

Sara brightened. “I will make you a list.”

Neal had a feeling Peter was going to regret that offer.

***

The body found at Ridgemont certainly sped up the process for bringing down Halbridge, but Neal and Sara were still stuck at the FBI offices for about a week. By the end of that week, Neal’s usual charm was wearing thin. They’d managed to get a bit of fresh air on the roof, but even that wasn’t enough to get rid of the smell of recycled air off him or Sara.

Sara was pleased to have the bonds in her hands—and her recovery fee in her bank account. Pleased enough that she agreed to take a look at Neal’s apartment and give it closer consideration. The minute Halbridge was in custody, the pair took off.

“I have to admit Neal, when you said you had an apartment this was _not_ what I was expecting.” Sara eyed the mansion. “French Renaissance architecture…it’s gorgeous.” She eyed the white marble and sea-green roof. “A bit before the resurgence though. I doubt it’s Sentinel ready.”

Neal shrugged. “At least no one has tried to kill me there.” Technically that was true. He _had_ had a few guns pointed at him.

“Neal!” June exclaimed as the pair entered the house. “It’s so good to see you. This must be Sara.” She smiled brightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Sara smiled back. “Neal hasn’t stopped talking about you, I hope this isn’t an inconvenience.”

“Not at all my dear.” June took her hand. “Now, why don’t we see if hundred-year-old paint bothers Neal’s newly heightened senses. If it does, I’ve made arrangements at a hotel for you.”

“That’s not necessary, June,” Neal protested.

“Nonsense. You’re family, dear.” June shook her head and smiled and towed the pair off up the stairs.

***

Neal was more than a little annoyed to discover that his old apartment had his newly sensitive skin itching ten minutes later—though he hadn’t planned on saying anything about it. It was impossible to hide anything from Sara though, who turned him right back out again, accepting June’s generous offer of a suite at the aptly named Sentinel Hotel. It was conveniently located and had top notch security, allaying some of Neal’s fears about his Guide’s safety.

“I always forget how much I love these sheets,” Sara remarked, snuggling under the covers of the massive king size bed. “Nobody makes sheets like these.”

“The minute I have a few thousand dollars to spend on sheets, I’ll see what I can do,” Neal replied. His phone buzzed.

_You up for the hangar tomorrow?_

Mozzie again. Neal didn’t want to put this off any longer, but he knew he wasn’t going to be able to sneak away from Sara. Even if he wanted to, the threat was too recent and their Bond was too new.

_I’ll have to bring Sara,_ he texted back before turning his attention back to his Guide, who was practically purring in tune with her knack. He swallowed, trying to contain the sudden surge of lust the sound inspired.

“Sara.”

“Yes, Neal?” She turned the full force of the golden eyes onto him.

“I—I have an in at the hangar where the plane Kate was on is being looked at. I know it’s not precisely legal or anything but…I need to see it. You have plans for tomorrow?”

Her eyes narrowed. She could feel the tentative edge he was on. Trust, fear—hope. “Okay. I—I want to help you with this, Neal. Okay?”

“Okay.”

She leaned up, taking his hand in her own and squeezing gently. “We’ll find out who did this.”

Neal nodded. “Thank you, Sara.”

“You’re welcome.” She wrinkled her nose. “Maybe—I know we didn’t get into this before, but I think you should tell me what happened _before_ the plane exploded. Everything. The more I know, the more I can help.”

Neal’s jaw tensed minutely before he nodded in agreement. “You’re right.” He thought back to the day Kate had said goodbye to him in prison. The day he’d talked to her on the phone at the train station. The day he’d heard the name Garret Fowler.

But really, this all started more than four years ago, when Alex asked him to help her steal a music box, and he let the world think he had.

He swallowed. “I suppose it all started with a music box…”

Neal found himself spilling the whole story. It was so easy to talk to Sara. He knew, without a doubt, that he could trust her with his secrets. She wouldn’t—and couldn’t—turn him in for any of his old crimes. Of course, one of those old crimes was the theft of that Raphael she was so keen to get her hands on…but he didn’t really need to include that story with this one. Sara listened intently, asking the occasional question now and again.

“So whoever killed Kate, it probably leads back to this box.” Sara shook her head. “It’s valuable, I’m sure, but it must be something _really_ special.”

“I don’t know.” Neal shrugged. “Right now, I just need to get into that hangar, listen to the flight recorder.” He shook his head. “I can figure out the next step after that.”

“Okay.” Sara nodded. “But you do know at some point you’re going to run into the FBI’s investigation, right? You need to decide if you’re going to work with them.”

“I know.” He ran a hand through his hair. “But that can be tomorrow’s problem.” He watched Sara yawn broadly, mirroring the movement a few beats later. “Sleep now.”

“All right.” There were a lot of things they could put off, Sara knew that, but she was pretty sure Neal’s work situation wasn’t one of them. It was going to come to head a sooner rather than later. She grabbed a pillow, snuggling down into the mattress while Neal shut off the lights before padding back to the bed and sliding in next to her.

_Job. Home. Dead girlfriend. Mysterious music box._

Probably not how most pairs started out after their Bond.

But then, Sara knew all too well that she and Neal…they were _not_ most pairs.

***

Mozzie eyed Sara with suspicion. The tall redhead looked more amused than anything else as he rambled about security measures. They snuck into the hangar between guard shifts. Sara kept a close eye on Neal as he stalked through the piles of plane debris. His distress was clear, and she could tell he was working through his senses.

Breathing in the scents of the smoke and chemicals.

She wasn’t sure if he would zone here or not. His emotional landscape was not pretty right now. He was flaring anger—and she could hardly blame him. Looking at the charred remains of the plane, it hit her that _he_ was supposed to be on this plane too. That she could have lost him before she’d ever gotten to know him.

She swallowed.

“You okay?” Mozzie asked, putting a hand on Neal’s shoulder.

“Yeah.” Neal nodded, striding forward. “Kate was sitting there, by the window.”

Mozzie eyed the blackened seats and shook his head. “Definitely no accident.”

“Did you ever think it was?” Neal looked at his friend. “Mechanical failure wouldn’t have cause an explosion by the door.”

Mozzie shook his head again. “I bet it was set to explode the plane in mid-air.”

“Someone set it off early,” Sara said.

Neal nodded. “Yeah.” He looked around. “What about the black box?”

Mozzie hopped into what was left of the cockpit and shrugged. “The whole tail is missing.”

“Excuse me, who are you?” A voice called from the hangar door.

Sara turned toward the man, flashing a smile. “We’re with Sterling Bosch.” She glanced at his badge briefly. “Where have you been Roy? We’re on a schedule here.”

“Sterling Bosch, the insurance company? I thought Wentlow Holdings was handling the claim,” Roy replied.

“They were,” Sara nodded. “But we’re handling it now.” Her smile was somewhat feral. “Where’s the cockpit recorder?”

“It’s been logged in with NTSB in Washington.”

“I hope you made a back-up,” Neal said sharply.

“How did you get in here anyway?” Roy asked.

“We _walked._ ” Sara blinked. “Your security is abysmal.”

Roy winced at her stare. “I could have the FAA send you a copy?”

She sniffed. “I suppose that will be fine.” She pulled a card from her purse and handed it over. “Here you are, send it care of Sara Ellis.”

“All right.” He handed over his own card.

“I’ll follow-up with you tomorrow morning.” She smiled.

“Of course.” Roy nodded and hurried back out of the hangar.

“Well, that was impressive,” Mozzie glanced at her. “You think quickly on your feet.”

Sara shrugged. “It’s a gift.” She turned her attention to Neal. “You need more time here?”

He shook his head. “No. Let’s get of here.”

Sara nodded and the trio headed out of the hangar.

***

They had the voice recording by the next morning, sitting down to listen to the recording around the table at the hotel suite.

“You ready?” Mozzie asked.

“Yeah.”

Mozzie pressed play.

“Hey, it’s me. Peter Burke is here.” Kate’s voice—a digital ghost. Neal clenched his jaw, blinking back tears. Sara put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently.

Kate’s voice continued. “I don’t know why Burke is here. Does this change the plan?”

Then came a soft pop as the mike cut out—as the plane exploded.

“She called someone,” Mozzie said.

“Yeah.” Neal nodded. “I could hear it. Play it again.”

Sara snagged a pad of paper and pen, setting it down in front of Neal. “You should be able to differentiate the number tones. Just concentrate on the sounds and don’t dial up too much. Okay?”

Neal nodded.

She put her hand back on his shoulder, anchoring him as Mozzie played it again.

Neal listened closely, jotting down the number quickly. He glanced down at it and the looked at Mozzie. “Can you trace this for me?”

“Of course.”

Neal sighed. “One step closer.”

“We’re going to figure this out, Neal.” Sara squeezed his shoulder. “I know it.”

“Thanks.”

Sara just wasn’t sure what Neal would do when they found the person responsible for Kate’s death. She wasn’t sure what he was thinking. All she was really certain of, was that was wasn’t going to lose him. She’d do whatever it took to keep him safe.

“We should bring in the FBI,” she said after a long moment. “They have resources, and I know Peter wants to help you with this. It doesn’t do anyone any good to keep him in the dark here.”

Neal bit his lip. “I know.”

“He’s pack, Neal.”

“I know.” Neal nodded. He’d had no idea, before coming online, how much that would mean to him but…it did. Peter had become family, and it was even more certain now. He couldn’t keep Peter in the dark.

“The Suit? Seriously?”

“Yeah.” Neal looked at Mozzie. “He was there, Moz. I…I need him in this with me. You okay with that?”

Mozzie took a moment before nodding. “Yeah. I guess as Suits go, he’s not so bad.”

Sara smiled. “Good. They let’s take a field trip to the FBI.”

“I’ll leave that to the two of you.” Mozzie gathered his things. “You won’t see me walking into the heart of the beast.”

Neal’s lips quirked into a half smile. “Wouldn’t want you to end up with a barcode stamped on your forehead.”

“Exactly.” Mozzie nodded in agreement. “I’ll call when I know something.”

Sara watched him leave before turning her attention back to her Sentinel. “He is a very odd little man.”

“Wouldn’t have him any other way.”


	8. Fowler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neal gets one step closer to Kate's killer.

“I traced the phone number,” Mozzie said. “It went back to a burner phone, but you know I don’t give up so easily. It took some work, but I finally tracked the burner to the FBI agent that set up the deal for you and Kate.”

“Garret Fowler,” Neal growled.

Sara put a hand on his shoulder. “Do we know where this guy is?”

Mozzie shook his head. “He dropped off the radar after the explosion.” Mozzie looked at Sara and then Neal. “We might need the Suit’s help, Neal.”

Neal sighed. “Fowler wants the music box.”

“Which disappeared as well,” Mozzie reminded. “I traced it being logged into evidence, but after it’s logged in…” He pulled a file from his bag. “This is the photo they took.”

Neal looked at the photo and frowned. “That’s not the same box.”

“No. Something happened between the box being taken from the airport and logged in.” Mozzie shrugged. “I haven’t made any headway there.”

Sara frowned. “This whole thing reeks of conspiracy.”

Mozzie smiled. “I knew I liked you.”

“Moving on. Mozzie’s right, we need the FBI. We need Peter.” He took a deep breath. “But at the same time…This is bigger than the FBI. Their resources only stretch so far.”

“You’re considering the SITF’s offer, aren’t you?” Sara asked. “The plane explosion was as much an attempt on your life as it was Kate’s. They want to get to the bottom of it.”

Neal nodded. “I join the task force, we liaise with the FBI.” He looked to Sara. “If that’s all right with you?”

“Honestly? I would feel better about you investigating this with a team to back you up.” She put a hand on his back. “I don’t want you putting yourself in harm’s way.”

Neal glanced at her. Once they’d gotten past the general antagonism of their past, he’d found himself clicking with Sara. It was more than just the Bond. More than just sex. Yes, the Sentinel in him cared about her in ways he couldn’t fully comprehend, but every day he felt himself getting closer to her. She was smart and funny. Loyal. Fierce.

He could see himself falling in love with her.

Hell, he was probably halfway there already.

“Okay.” He smiled. “I’ll give Kathryn a call then.”

“Okay.” Sara smiled back.

Neal’s heart skipped a beat. Yeah, definitely halfway there already.

***

Neal and Sara walked into the FBI office and he couldn’t help but notice the difference in that simple action. The last time he’d walked into this office, he’d been at best a civilian and now…now he had a SITF badge on his belt and was waiting for his firearm’s clearance to come through so he could carry a gun. An actual _gun_. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about that. As a thief, he’d never carried one. It was a quick way to get yourself killed, and having one on your person when arrested was just asking for automatic sentence additions.

Never mind his personal feelings about them. But SITF agents carried guns, so he would carry one.

Diana was the first one to spot him, eyeing the badge with a raised eyebrow. “Wow, Caffrey, I didn’t think you’d go to the Task Force.”

Neal shrugged. “They have resources. Where’s Peter?”

“In his office. You here in official capacity then?” She crossed her arms over her chest and settled back against her desk.

“Sort of.” He glanced at Sara. “Could you stay here a moment? I’ll be right back.”

 Sara nodded, settling next to Diana while Neal walked up the short flight of stairs to Peter’s office.

“How’s it going?” Diana asked.

“Could be worse.” Sara took a breath. “We’re living in a hotel because Neal’s apartment isn’t Sentinel friendly and he can’t go back into my place without getting a bit feral.”

“I could put you in touch with my realtor,” Diana said. “She’s has a good handle on the Sentinel-friendly housing market.”

“Really? I’d appreciate that.” She smiled. “I’d prefer to find someplace sooner rather than later. My nesting instincts are still in overdrive.”

“You want a coffee?”

“I’d love one.”

Up in Peter’s office, Neal took a seat, feeling somewhat…at odds.

“So, you decided to join SITF,” Peter smiled. “I admit I was hoping you’d come back to the FBI.”

Neal took a breath. “Yeah. I know. I thought about it but SITF has more resources for Sentinels and less…”

“Oversight?” Peter prompted.

“Yeah.” A smile flickered on Neal’s lips. “I listened to the flight recording from Kate’s—from the plane. We got a phone number that leads back to Garret Fowler. She called him before the plane exploded.”

Peter frowned. “You think he killed her?”

“I don’t know. But we need to find him. We have to find him.” Neal swallowed. “Peter, I need your help. Please.”

Peter took a breath. “I have to admit I’m proud of you for coming to me with this. I think Sara’s been a good influence on you.”

“She…she’s everything.” Neal looked Peter in the eyes. “I have to protect her but I also have to find out who killed Kate if I’m ever going to move forward.”

“All right.” Peter nodded. “I’ll work with you on this. But we do it my way, understand? We do it the right way.”

“Okay, Peter.”

“Good.” Peter paused, considering for a long moment. “I took the music box out of play. To keep it safe.”

“Oh.” Neal blinked. “So where is it?”

“Safe, with Diana. Fowler was after the box for someone else, not himself. I don’t know who that is, but I didn’t think the box would be safe in the FBI.”

“I think you’re right.” Neal made a face. “But the box isn’t…you don’t have all of it.” He carefully pulled the cherub from his pocket. “I need to see the box, Peter.”

Peter frowned, but nodded. “Okay. Tonight, your hotel room.”

“I want Mozzie there.”

“That’s fine.”

“Then I’ll see you tonight.” Neal flashed a smile and stood. “Thanks for this, Peter.”

“No problem, kid.”

***

The discovery of the second comb inside the music box, and the musical code it created, only deepened the mystery—and frustrated Neal. Mozzie was excited though. Neal just wanted to get to Fowler, demand answers. Maybe throw a few punches. Fowler had done his best to make Neal’s life miserable.

“You’re still up?” Sara padded over to where Neal was brooding on the suite’s couch, dropping into the seat next to him.

“Thinking.” Neal glanced at her, leaning back and patting his leg in invitation.

Sara climbed into his lap with a smile, lowering her head onto his shoulder. “You’re comfy.”

“Thanks.” He smiled. “You smell good.” He wrapped an arm around her, stroking her arm gently.  

“Thanks.” She snuggled closer. “You know we’re going to get through this, right? I know how hard it is…to lose someone you care about.” Her voice thickened. “I—when I was thirteen my older sister ran away from home and I never saw her again. Emily. I used to go into her room and look at all over things. Wonder where she might be. I’ve looked but…” She shook her head. “I know how painful unanswered questions are. We’re going to find out what happened to Kate.” She tilted her head up, looking him in the eyes.

Neal bent his head down and kissed her. “Thank you—for everything. Maybe…maybe someday we’ll find Emily.”

“Maybe.”

He sighed. “Okay, let’s go to bed.” Sara moved to stand, but Neal shook his head, slipping an arm under her knees. “Arms around my neck.”

She complied with a puzzled sort of smile. “Aren’t we strong?”

“I’m taking care of you.” He stood, taking a moment to balance her weight before walking toward the bed. “Besides, that little feral part of me likes carrying you.”

“A little part of me likes being carried,” she admitted.

“Good.” He kissed her again, setting her down on the bed and crawling in after. “Because I intend to do it again.”

Sara smiled. “Good to know.”

***

Peter called Neal into the office a few days later with news. He was uncertain, but it wasn’t like he could keep Neal out of the loop. He just had to hope that Neal wouldn’t do anything too reckless once he had the information sitting inside the innocuous grey folder on Peter’s desk. Neal came in with Sara, the pair still weren’t ready to be apart. They most likely wouldn’t be until they had their own home territory and Neal’s Sentinel could settle down.

Not that this was going to help settle the Sentinel. Peter understood that, he understood the primal drive to protect those he loved. But he’d had a lot longer to get used to being a Sentinel. Neal was still new to this. Still young and untested. He needed time to get control over his primal drive. He needed, more than anything, to resolve things with Kate.

Peter could only hope that things wouldn’t go sideways.

“Neal, Sara.” Peter smiled. “Coffee?”

Neal shook his head.

“No, thank you,” Sara said. “You have something new?”

 Peter nodded. “That’s right. We got a lead on Fowler.”

“And?” Neal licked his lips, leaning forward in his seat.

“I know you haven’t shown it recently, but I know how hard these past weeks have been on you.” Peter gave him a hard look. “I’m glad you trusted me.”

“Of course.”

“I’m returning the favor. This is a receipt, for parts used in the explosive device that was used to blow up the plane.”

Neal frowned at the paperwork. “This says it was purchased by an Erin Burgess.”

“It’s Fowler’s alias.”

Sara felt the spike of anger through their Bond in an instant and pushed her chair closer to his.

“Diana tracked his purchases and found that, made one week before the explosion.”

“I see.” Neal set the file aside, jaw twitching.

“We’re closing in on his location, Diana has a lead.”

“Good.” Neal swallowed.

Sara put a hand on his arm.

“You okay?” Peter asked.

Sara could have told him the answer.

“I’m not surprised,” Neal said. “I knew it had to be Fowler.”

“We get him now, we can put him away,” Peter replied.

“How close are you to pinning him down?” Sara asked, eying Neal.

“Close,” Peter said. “We have a line on one of his bank accounts and we know where he was staying last week. We’ll get him, Neal.”

Sara moved her hand to Neal’s, squeezing gently. “Neal?”

“Okay.” Neal nodded. “Okay.”

Sara glanced at Peter. “We need a room.”

“I’m fine,” Neal protested.

“No you’re not.” Sara shook her head. “Peter?”

“Of course.” He nodded sharply and stood. “Follow me.”

“Sara,” Neal complained.

“Come on, we’ll do some exercises.” Sara smiled. “It’s good for you, remember?” She stood, tugging him out of his chair.

Given he was on the verge of angry tears, she probably had a point. Neal let her lead him along, missing the days when he could hide all his anger and pain away with no one the wiser. Well, a bit anyway. He couldn’t hide from Sara.

And if he was admitting the truth? It was for the best. Without Sara he would have self-destructed by now. _Hell, I’d be dead._ If a bit of meditation would soothe her worries, he’d do it. And he might even feel a bit better after.

Stranger things had happened.


	9. To Catch a Thief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neal gets closer to the person behind it all and recruits an old friend to help.

The trap was set. Diana’s computer skills were pushed to their limit, but she managed to track Fowler’s aliases and bank accounts. The real bait, however, was the music box. With Mozzie’s help, they arranged to leak the box’s “location” and then set up surveillance. SITF provided Sentinel teams for the job in addition to the usual FBI van, undercover agents and cameras.

And then, they waited.

Neal was in the van. Partly because Peter had asked, and partly because Peter had called Sentinel Hill and given her the rundown on events, and she’d agreed to have the SITF commander put Neal in Peter’s purview for the duration of the case. She didn’t want her godson doing anything rash either. They all knew what a feral Sentinel could do. Besides, Sara hadn’t been cleared for field work, and Neal wasn’t cleared to work without her.

They didn’t have to wait long. Fowler showed up at the vault that evening, tool bag in hand.  The FBI teams moved in the front while the SITF teams took the back. Neal fidgeted, Sara and Peter keeping a close eye on him as Diana and Jones exited the building with Fowler in custody.

“We got him,” Peter said. “See, everything is going to be—”

Sara felt the surge of emotion before Neal took off toward Fowler, snarling. She hurried after him, Peter only a step behind her. One of the SITF teams came forward, an emergency tranquilizer in hand. Peter was hoping they wouldn’t have to use it, those things were a bitch to sleep off.

Neal stopped just short of Fowler, still growling. “Why?” he shouted. “Why did you kill Kate?”

“Is that what you think happened?” Fowler shook his head.

“You bought the explosives,” Neal snapped. “She called you and then plane exploded!”

Fowler blinked, realizing that there was something peculiar going on. The last time he’d seen Neal, the kid hadn’t been quite so… “You’re a Sentinel.”

“And you’re a dead man if you don’t tell me why you killed Kate!”

“Listen to my heartbeat, Caffrey, I didn’t kill her. The explosives were her idea. She was convinced that faking your deaths was the only way to shake the man who was after the music box.”

Neal swallowed, Sara taking the opportunity to put a hand on the back of Neal’s neck.

“Listen to his heart, Neal,” she said softly. “You know he’s telling the truth.” She might not have had that particular ability, but she could get a sense of the emotional range coming from Fowler, and while the man was scared, he wasn’t being deceitful. That sort of thing had always come easily to her.

The tension started to bleed out of Neal’s shoulders. “Who wanted the box?”

“This isn’t the place for this, Neal,” Peter said.

Neal took a breath and then nodded.

“Let’s go,” Peter ordered.

Quietly, the teams got into their vehicles and headed back to the FBI office. They set Fowler up in an interrogation room, Peter taking point. The whole story came out. Fowler’s wife’s murder, him taking revenge—the blackmail and the mysterious puppet master that got him into OPR, but they were no closer to the truth.

Neal was frustrated. Everything was leading back to the damn music box, and he wasn’t in the mood for centuries old puzzles. He didn’t want Kate’s death to come back to something so…trivial. Sara stuck close, glad he had calmed down, but his emotional landscape was still roiling, like a storm waiting to break.

His phone rang, startling them both out of their zone. He fumbled to answer it, frowning at the unknown number. “Caffrey.”

Sara felt the shock roll through him.

“What? Where?” Anxiety spiked.

“Neal?”

“I’ll be right there,” Neal said, hanging up the phone. He looked at Sara, eyes wide. “Mozzie’s been shot.”

***

Neal wasn’t in any condition to see Mozzie when they got to the hospital, it was all Sara could do to get him into a meditation room before the hospital staff could have him tranquilized. Peter and El sat with Mozzie while Sara tried to get Neal settled.

Meanwhile, Jones and Diana were trying to run down leads when Diana stumbled on something at the scene. She was looking over the park bench, trying to ignore the coppery scent of Mozzie’s blood, when a slight textural difference caught her eye. She frowned, pulling over the nearest crime scene tech.

“Is that a fingerprint?”

The tech frowned and got to work. “You have sharp eyes, Agent Berrigan.”

She nodded and stepped back. All of a sudden, she had a tension headache. Clearly, she needed a coffee.

“You okay?” Jones asked.

“Yeah.” Diana nodded. “Just a little headache.”

“It’s a partial thumb print,” the tech exclaimed. “I’ll get it back to the lab for analysis.”

“I want a rush on that, call me as soon as you have a match.”

“Will do, Agent Berrigan.”

“Thanks,” Diana said. “Come on, Jones, let’s get to the hospital.”

***

Mozzie was out of danger when Diana and Jones arrived, though in an induced coma. Neal and Sara were practically joined at the hip, Neal settled into a chair next to the bed and Sara in his lap.

Diana eyed the pair with some surprise. She’d seen pairs in similar situations, even Peter and El, but it was different somehow, seeing Neal and Sara. He was pale, and Sara was humming softly. Diana wasn’t sure of the tune, but it seemed to be helping keep Neal calm. Diana couldn’t blame him for being on edge. His friend had nearly died.

Hell, he was her friend too. Sure, the odd little man could be irritating, but there was something endearing about him too. She didn’t want him dead.

“We found a fingerprint at the site, it was fresh enough to be the shooter’s,” Diana said. “Video footage gave us a blurry look at the shooter, but not his face.”

 “Good,” Peter said. “Techs rushing it?”

Diana nodded, keeping an eye on Neal. He hadn’t even blinked at the news.

“Neal,” Sara said. “Did you hear that?”

Neal nodded.

Sara frowned in concern and snuggled closer. “It’s okay.”

Peter nodded toward the hall and walked out with Jones and Diana.

“He doesn’t look good,” Jones remarked.

Peter shook his head. “He’s taking this hard. Blaming himself. We have to find the person responsible before this gets even further out of hand.”

Diana nodded.

They needed to end this—before anyone got killed.

***

The fingerprint turned up a name. Julian Larrsen. Former special forces, and one time squad mate of Garrett Fowler, though Fowler swore he’d no idea Julian was involved with any of this. But Larrsen was just the weapon, not the puppet master.

But at least Mozzie had finally woken up, which had Neal in a much better mood. And now that he wasn’t half-feral, he was fixed on the problem at hand. Who was behind all of this? Who had killed Kate, and almost killed Mozzie?

There was only one other person who knew more about the box than Neal did.

He needed to talk to Alex Hunter.

***

Alex was a difficult woman to reach. She’d had a target on her back ever since she helped Neal take the box from the Italian Consulate. But Neal’s contacts assured him she was in New York and at the moment, she was burgling pieces she’d fenced and then fencing them again. Not the most creative way to make a buck, but he doubted she had the time to be creative. With the FBI and SITF’s resources, Neal narrowed down her next targets and staked out the most likely one.

His patience was rewarded.

He snuck up on Alex on the rooftop. “You’re looking very _To Catch a Thief_ , this evening,” Neal said.

Alex sighed, rolling her eyes and standing up from her crouch. “I hope you don’t think that makes you Cary Grant in this equation.”

“If the shoe fits,” he smiled. Sara was in the surveillance van, which was about as far apart as they’d been since Bonding. “We need to talk about the music box, Alex.”

“What about it?”

“Mozzie got shot. Kate was killed. It all leads back to that box. I need to know what you know.”

Alex’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, Neal. Is Mozzie okay?”

“He’s gonna be.” Neal took a breath. “Please Alex, I need your help.”

Alex had been taking inventory of Neal’s appearance, noting the more confident stance, the way he seemed hyper-aware of his surroundings in a way that he hadn’t before. But it wasn’t her eyes that were telling her what the difference in Neal was. She could _feel_ the difference.

“Neal, when did you come online?”

“After Kate was killed.” Neal took a breath and realized why it was she’d taken notice. His eyes narrowed. “You’re a Guide.”

Alex shrugged. “It wasn’t really a secret.” She walked toward him. “You’ve Bonded?”

“I kind of had to.” Neal swallowed. “So, are you going to help me?”

Her lips thinned as she considered her options. Finally, she nodded. “Okay, I’ll help you.”

“Great. Come on, I want to introduce you to my Guide.”

“I have to admit, I do want to know what kind of Guide would Bond with Neal Caffrey.”

Neal smiled.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neal and Sara dig deeper into their powers and discover who's behind Kate's death.

Alex and Sara were circling, metaphorically speaking. The team had settled in a secure SITF conference room with coffee and food, all the case information spread out on the tables. Peter eyed the pair, glancing at Neal speculatively.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea for them to be chatting?”

Neal shrugged. “I’m not planning on keeping any secrets from Sara. Whatever Alex tells her won’t be much of a surprise. She already knows my big secrets, the little ones…it doesn’t matter.” He had their Bond, nothing else mattered. She knew him in every way that mattered.

Peter smiled. “Coming online…regardless of the circumstances, I think it was the best thing that could have happened for you.”

Neal closed his eyes a moment, nodding slightly. “Yeah.” He pulled a file from the stack Alex had brought with her. “Alex, what’s with all the WW2 records?”

“You wanted to know the whole truth about music box, Neal. It starts there.” Alex turned toward him. “It’s not the music box itself that’s so valuable, it’s what the music box _leads_ to. It’s a clue in a treasure hunt I’ve been on my whole life. And as for who’s been behind all of this…I can only think of one man who’s gotten as close as I have to the treasure.” She exhaled. “Vincent Adler.”

“Seriously?” Peter said. “The guy on the most wanted list? The guy who stole millions from his investors?”

“Yup.” Alex shrugged.

Neal clenched his fist. _Adler_. That wasn’t a name he’d ever thought he’d hear again. Knowing that Adler was behind it all though…it made sense. Adler had a ruthless streak. He definitely would have killed Kate if it meant getting closer to something he wanted.

“What’s this treasure?” Neal asked, clamping down on his emotions. “What’s worth so much that Adler would kill Kate?”

“A Nazi submarine full of looted art,” Alex replied. “Most people think it’s a rumor but…but most people aren’t related to the signal operator that received the U-boat’s last transmission. I can’t say for certain what was in the sub, but there are hundreds, if not thousands, of artifacts still missing from Hitler’s ransacking of every museum he could get his hands on.”

Neal raised his eyebrows. A find like that…hundreds of years of history at the bottom of the ocean. It would be the find of a lifetime. The score of a lifetime. Hell, even if it was all handled legally, the finder’s fee would be astonishing.

“Okay, so I can see why someone would kill for that,” Mozzie remarked, leaning back into his wheelchair. “Especially someone like Adler. He might be running of money now. He might need this score.”

Alex nodded. “That may be true, but I think it’s obsession too. It’s the kind of treasure legends are made of.”

“All right,” Peter said. “Adler kills Kate because she knows something about him. He intended to kill Neal as well, all in hopes of getting this music box. How does it lead us to the sub?”

“Well, that’s what I’ve been working on I guess,” Mozzie said. “The code from the music box was a fractal, which, now that I know that…I’d guess it was for tracking a specific radio signal.”

“Adler used to have fractals in his office,” Neal remarked. “He was a little obsessed.”

Peter glanced at Neal. “Well, if this treasure is all that you think it is, I can understand the obsession.”

Neal shrugged. “I’d say we have a signal to find. Can you build the detector, Moz?”

“Not a problem, I’ll put together a list and one of the Suits can go shopping.”

Diana sighed. She had a feeling she was going to be the one doing the shopping.

Sara had been oddly silent, listening to the others while flipping through the files closest to her. “Even if we find the sub, what’s to stop Adler from coming after it? He wasn’t afraid to blow up a plane. He had enough money to get to the OPR…whose to say he doesn’t have the connections to get his hands on this sub while it’s with the FBI?”

“That’s why I’m involving SITF,” Neal said. “He might be able to influence the FBI but…corrupt Sentinels lose their gifts. We’d notice if he’d wormed his way into SITF, right?” He glanced at Peter.

“He’s right,” Peter confirmed. “Corrupt Sentinels go dormant. I don’t exactly hold with all the mystical nonsense but…there’s no real explanation for the phenomenon outside of it. If you work against the people you’re supposed to protect, allow greed to take over—you aren’t worthy of being a Sentinel.”

“Well, I suppose it’s a good thing we’re doing this little inter-agency cooperation then.” Sara sighed. “I’m still not comfortable with the FBI’s involvement in this though.”

“We’ll limit it to Sentinel/Guide pairs and the people I trust,” Peter said. “The people in this room.”

Neal nodded. “All right, that seems fair. Sara?”

“I can live with that.”

“So…” Neal took a breath, looking around the room. “Let’s get to work.”

***

“Diana’s real estate agent sent over some more options for us to look at,” Sara remarked, looking up from her laptop to where Neal was getting ready for work. “Maybe we’ll have time to actually look at some of them once all of this is over.”

“I sure hope so, this hotel isn’t cheap. Though I did convince the Center to cover the costs under the circumstances.”

“Well, I see the con artist still lives then.” Sara grinned and took a sip of her coffee.

He smiled back. “Can’t lose my touch now, can I?” He straightened his tie and padded over to her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Anything on that list with a good view?”

“A few, this one is a condo building exclusive to Sentinels. The Center uses some of the condos as housing.”

“I don’t know if I want to live in a building full of Sentinels.” Neal frowned. “I’d prefer something a bit more—mine. Ours. Private.”

“I understand.” Sara closed her laptop. “It’s the territorial instincts. I suppose we should head in now.” She stood, fussed with Neal’s tie a moment and kissed him. “Mozzie should be done with the antenna by now.”

“He texted earlier to say he was bringing it to the office today.” Neal’s phone buzzed. He’d had to leave it on vibrate ever since he came online, even the lowest volume setting was just too irritating. He hadn’t caved yet and gotten one of the fancy new phones designed with Sentinels in mind, but he was starting to think he might need to. He checked the caller ID and answered. “Hey, Peter. What’s up?”

“Alex is missing.”

***

Neal and Sara quickly met up with Peter, who for the first time in Neal’s memory, had El along in her official capacity. Diana and Jones had Mozzie occupied, and there were three pairs from the SITF that Neal was familiar with.

“What happened?” Neal asked.

“We’re not entirely sure,” Peter replied. “We’ve scoured her apartment, but it’s become clear that she didn’t walk out on her own.”

Neal tamped down a growl. “Any scents?”

“No. Whoever did this as smart enough to eradicate any trace of themselves. They sprayed bleach all over. If there was a scent it’s been destroyed.” Peter nodded toward one of the SITF pairs. Sentinel Lauren Cruz and her Guide Marco Fratelli. Neal recognized the pair from the stakeout where they’d caught Fowler. “She zoned pretty bad trying to catch something remaining under the bleach.”

Neal took a breath. “Maybe I should try.” He looked at Sara. “What do you think?”

“We can try, but I want to be in contact with you the whole time. It’s going to be difficult to get past the smell of the bleach.” She took his hand. “Let’s go.”

“I’ll clear everyone else out,” Peter said. “That should help.”

“Thanks, Peter.”

Once everyone was cleared out of Alex’s hotel room, Sara and Neal headed inside. She kept his hand in hers.

“You’ll want to carefully up your dials on scent, Neal. What we’re aiming for is beneath the bleach.” If it was there at all. Bleach was effective at destroying other scents. There could still be some remaining markers though, if they were lucky. “We’ll want to go slowly, okay?”

He nodded, and closed his eyes, focusing his sense of smell above his other senses. The dials method had worked well enough for him so far. Some Sentinels used other methods, but the result was the same. The visualization allowed for incremental changes in the focus of his senses.

Dialing up scent slowly let him get a better hold of the singular scent of bleach, and then put it aside to get to the remaining scents underneath. Like peeling back a layer of overpainting on a canvas. He caught food scents first, and quickly pushed those aside. He wanted human scents—and caught Alex’s scent profile first. There was a touch of fear in that scent. He suppressed another growl and pushed the scent aside.

There was something else there but it wasn’t a scent he recognized. He catalogued it though and carefully dialed down his senses to their normal levels and opened his eyes.

“I got Alex, fear—and at least one unfamiliar man. That’s not really helpful.” He shook his head. “I want to see if I can follow that scent though. And Alex’s.”

“Sure.” Sara nodded. “We can do that.”

The pair headed out of the hotel room and Neal found the scent again at the elevators. He frowned, glancing at the elevator camera. “Did they check those already?”

“You’d think so,” Sara replied.

Neal frowned and headed back to Peter. “Have the south east elevator cameras been checked?”

“I’ll check with the techs,” Peter replied. “Our guys head out that way?”

“Pretty sure. Alex’s scent is there, and I caught a guy’s scent in her hotel room that was about as strong—it was in the elevator too.”

Peter nodded. “All right.”

“I’m going to go down, see what floor they came off at.”

“We’ll meet outside then.”

“Got it.” Neal nodded, and headed back to the elevator with Sara. They were going to find Alex. They were going to find the sub.

And they were going to put Adler behind bars.

***

The camera records had been deleted, of course, and outside the trail ended with more bleach. Neal couldn’t quite help a snarl in frustration.

“You’re taking this hard,” Sara remarked. “You and Alex must have been close.”

“Of my friends, she’s one of the few whose only tried to kill me once,” he replied. But there was something more to it than that. He’d known that from the moment he’d realized she was a Guide on the rooftop. The Sentinel part of him…it had almost immediately latched onto her. She was Pack. He was pretty sure Sara knew that already, but was just nudging him to admit it. He swallowed and looked at his Guide with a wry smile. “She’s Pack. It’s hard to keep the Sentinel in check when Pack is in danger. Not as hard as when it’s you but…still.”

Sara smiled. “She’s not your typical Guide either, is she?”

“No.” He shook his head. “She’s not.”

“You aren’t the only one affected right now though,” Sara noted. “There’s something up with Diana. She’s been off since Mozzie got shot.”

“I’m not entirely sure what’s going on there,” he admitted. “But it’s Diana, she’ll be okay.”

Sara nodded. “And we’ll find Alex, I know it.” She bit her lip. “There…there might be a way for me to help.” She’d never really tried it before. Never considered trying it before. But things were different now. She was Bonded, she had a Pack. Her Guide gifts were stronger now than they’d ever been. There was no reason she couldn’t try.

“How?” Neal’s brow furrowed.

“She’s Pack, right? Well, we’re connected. Guides are always connected to each other to a degree, but since she’s Pack there’s more to it than that. We’re connected by a sort of bond. I might be able to tap into that and find out where she is that way.”

“Really?”

“It’s been done before. Of course, that was Blair Sandburg, but there Alpha level Guides are all capable.” She took a deep breath. “We’ll need a quiet room.”

“Got it.” Neal texted a quick update to the rest of the team and headed for the reception desk. “Excuse me, do you have any quiet rooms?”

The reception clerk blinked, taking note of the badge. “Yes of course, Sentinel.” She dug a key card out of a drawer and handed it over. “It’s just down the hall on the right, the door is labelled.”

“Thank you.” Neal flashed a smile and they were off. The quiet room was small, but clean and painted a neutral color. The carpet was plush and there were a few comfortable chairs.

Sara took off her shoes and sat down, taking a deep breath. “I’ll need to anchor on you, Neal.”

“Okay.” He pulled a chair up next to hers and sat down, taking her hand. “What’s going to happen?”

“I’ll be a bit…it’ll be like I’m in a zone. Here, but not here. If it lasts for more than an hour, try to bring me out of it, okay?”

“Okay. This—it isn’t dangerous, is it?”

She smiled. “I don’t really know. It’s not something that Guides do everyday. No more risk than you dialing up so high to catch a scent under bleach, I’d think.”

Neal swallowed concern. “Okay.” He squeezed her hand. “Be careful.”

“I’ll do my best.” She flashed another smile and closed her eyes, concentrating inward first, toward the gift at the heart of her inner self. There were Guides who were a lot more spiritual than she was, Sara knew that, but she was relatively confident of the theory behind what she was about to do. She’d attended many of the Guide classes under sufferance, but she hadn’t wasted that time. It wasn’t in her nature. _I can do this._

Sara didn’t believe that there was a separate plane where Guides operated on, she saw it more as a visualization of power, much as a Sentinel’s dials worked, her own personal visualization was a park she’d loved as a child. When she meditated, she visualized the park. It was so real though. She could practically smell the flowers and feel the breeze.

Sara stood up from the park bench in her visualized world, what other Guides referred to as the spirit plane. She took a deep breath and walked forward to the park bulletin board. She concentrated on it, revisualizing it to show a map of New York City. It was easier for her to think logically, utilizing objects to focus her power rather than whatever mystical weirdness more traditional Guides proscribed to. She had to admit that part of her dislike for the spiritual side of Guide gifts had to do with the general attitude she’d run into from those traditional Guides she knew.

Maybe if she’d had less judgmental instructors, she would have been more open to the concepts. Sara stared at the map, locating the hotel where Alex had stayed. “All right Alex, where are you?”

She took another deep breath. “Alexandra Hunter. Where are you?”

_Where are you?_ She broadcast the question toward the map.

_Who’s that?_ Echoed back to her.

“Alex, it’s Sara,” she said. “I need to know where you are.” She focused on the map. “Show me where you are.”

“Sara?”

Sara turned toward the voice and blinked in surprise to see Alex standing next to her. _How did I…did I? How powerful am I exactly?_

“Alex.” Sara sighed. “Do you know where you are?”

Alex nodded. “Adler’s goons grabbed me and now I’m in some kind of warehouse. He already has the sub, it’s here. So if you can trace the signal…”

“We can find you.”

“Exactly.” Alex shook her head. “How did I get to your personal patch of the spirit plane? I felt like I was…pulled.”

“I—I’m not completely certain. After Bonding with Neal my power level sort of…went up. I haven’t had an opportunity to be retested. But Neal’s Alpha, I’m probably the same.”

Alex blinked. “I’d say so.”

“We’re coming to get you, Alex. Just—stay calm. All right?”

“Tell Neal not to let Adler play with him. He’ll go after Neal now to try and get into the sub, it’s sealed with some kind of peculiar lock and Neal is the best.”

“I will.”

_Sara?_ Was that Neal?

_Sara, wake up!_

Sara tried to hold onto her park, but it was no use, Neal was pulling her back. “We’re coming, Alex,” she said. “We’re coming.”

And then she was back, Neal had his hands on her shoulders, eyes searching her face.

“It’s okay,” Sara said. “I’m back. Alex is all right.”

Neal exhaled, pulling her into his arms. “You wouldn’t wake up.”

“How long was I out?”

“And hour and a half.”

Time did move differently when she was in her park. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“I know. Do we know where Alex is?” He pulled back.

“With Adler—and the sub, in a warehouse.”

Neal blinked, and then smiled. “I guess we’re going to get three birds with one stone then.”

It was a decidedly feral, Sentinel’s smile. Sara’s heart thudded faster at the sight of it. Adler might have known Neal a few years ago. He might have molded Neal into the conman he’d been, but he’d no idea what Neal the Sentinel was capable of.

Sara was rather looking forward to seeing how it all turned out.

And seeing Adler in handcuffs.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adler makes his move, and an old "friend" of Sara's makes an appearance.

Mozzie fussed with the antenna silently, somewhat cowed after Dianna growled at him after his fifth complaint regarding her driving. Neal was a bit concerned about her, and he was starting to have an inkling of an idea about what might have been wrong. But he wasn’t as experienced in all of the finer points of his new abilities as he needed to be to really be certain. Except, in the pit of his stomach he had this feeling that Diana was on the cusp of coming online.

He didn’t really know what to do about that though.

A sound came from Mozzie’s device. “Ah ha! That’s it, we’re in range now. Go—North.”

“Got it,” Diana said.

Mozzie continued to call out directions until they got close enough that is was easier to park and walk. “That’s it,” Mozzie pointed at a nearby warehouse. “The signal is coming from there.”

“All right,” Neal said. “We should break off and scout the perimeter first.”

Peter nodded and began directing the teams to different parts of the building. Neal took Sara by the hand and dialed up his hearing, focusing on the warehouse. The telltale hum of white noise generators hit him first. Without even thinking about it, he pushed past the hum, and keyed into a familiar voice.

“You’re not going to catch Neal on his own,” Alex said. “He’s too smart for that.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m sure I can find a way.” Adler’s familiar cadence struck Neal. “Once I have him, I’ll let you go. Once I make that offer, I’m sure he’ll come running.”

Neal dialed back down, opening his eyes and glancing at Peter. “Adler’s in there.”

“All right.” Peter nodded and got onto the radio. They had to move quickly. There were few task forces that moved faster than the SITF.

The breach happened in minutes, the team heading into the warehouse. Neal stuck with Peter, their Guides behind them. Sara wasn’t totally comfortable in her flak jacket, but she understood the necessity.

The door they breached opened onto a huge open area—where the U-Boat was stretched out, an object so out of its own time and space it took Sara a moment to adjust to its presence. She could feel Alex nearby now, and that settled something inside her.

Neal stopped to listen again, pinpointing Adler and Alex’s locations, as well as the unfamiliar heartbeats of his goons. The team moved quickly, neutralizing the mercenaries efficiently. A few minutes later, it seemed Adler had caught on, as he emerged from the sort of closed in mezzanine that overlooked the warehouse, Alex pressed close to his chest—and a gun to her head.

Sara quickly put a hand on Neal’s shoulder as he growled. It wouldn’t help anyone to have a feral Sentinel in the middle of this.

Adler spotted them seconds later, fixing on Neal. “Ah, you’ve found me. Well, then I can give you the spiel. Open the lock,” he nodded toward the sub, “And I won’t kill Alex.”

“How about this,” Diana popped up behind Adler. “You let her go and I won’t shoot you in the head.”

Neal blinked. He wasn’t sure how she’d gotten there, but a moment later, he spotted an enormous lioness stalking just behind Diana.

“Sentinel,” Sara whispered. “Diana’s come online.”

Neal nodded. “As you can see, Adler, I didn’t come alone. Let Alex go.”

Adler’s brow furrowed. “I will shoot her.”

“And I will shoot you,” Diana repeated.

Neal really didn’t think that was helping anything, but Diana wasn’t in a place to bargain. Adler spun around to face her, shouting something Neal didn’t quite understand. A moment later, Diana’s enormous knack slammed into him with all the force of a genuine lion. Adler screamed as he was dragged down the floor. Diana rushed forward, pulling Alex into her arms. Neal ran toward Adler, dragging the knack away and handcuffing his former mentor. He was bleeding but it was mostly superficial.

“What the hell was that?” Adler demanded.

“You really should know better than to kidnap a Guide,” Neal replied. “Sentinels don’t take that well.”

Diana was humming softy, stroking Alex’s hair. Neal had never really seen Alex upset, but she clung to Diana and cried. Her adrenaline must have been wearing a bit thin, it was only normal to crash.

Peter took over, pulling Adler to his feet and eyeing Diana and Alex carefully. “Neal, put a call into the Center. They’ll need to evaluate Diana.”

Diana glanced at Peter. “I’m fine, Peter. Really.”

“I don’t doubt that, but I think that’s because you’re about half-anchored on Alex there.”

Alex sniffed. “I feel it…Sentinel.” She looked up at Diana. “You can feel it to, can’t you?”

After a moment, Diana nodded tersely. “I can. Call the Center, Neal.”

“I’ve got it,” Sara said.

They had Adler and his goons outside waiting pickup when the Center van arrived, followed swiftly by another team from SITF to take Adler into custody. Neal wasn’t taking any chances. SITF would handle his incarceration. The Center team put Alex and Diana into the van, and were off. Neal wasn’t entirely sure what was going to happen there. He’d run out of room to be surprised in that moment.

“Are you okay?” Sara asked.

Neal sighed. “I’ll let you know when Adler is safely behind bars.”

“I thought you might go feral in there,” she admitted. “Go for the kill.”

His jaw clenched slightly. “I thought I’d want to. Mostly I just felt…empty.”

She wrapped an arm around his arm, pulling him closer. “It’s going to be all right. What do you want to do?”

“We have to debrief but…let’s go home after.” Not really home, but the hotel was close enough for now.

They rode back to SITF headquarters with Peter, debriefing and heading back to the hotel. Neal was tense for most of it. Sara quickly herded him toward the bedroom. With efficient use of her the walk, she stripped off his layers and belt. She wanted him comfortable. After high stress, it was important to reaffirm the Bond. The easiest way to do that what was sex, but Sara was thinking more along the lines of cuddling right in that moment. The important thing was skin to skin contact.

Sara stripped off her own clothes, getting Neal onto the bed and snuggling close. He wrapped his arms around her, tucking her head under his chin and breathing deeply. He felt himself settle almost immediately. Her warm presence washed over him, strengthening the Bond and relaxing his muscles. It was better than wine.

“Mmm. That’s good,” he said.

Sara reached up, running a hand through his hair. “We got Adler. We got the sub.”

“Didn’t look inside it though.” Neal sighed. “I want to look inside. Before—before that plane exploded I would have taken that deal. I would have opened the sub to get Alex. Found a way to trick Adler…I don’t know how it would’ve ended though. Today was good. I should be happy. I should be—something.”

“You don’t have to feel anything right now, Neal.” She continued to pet his hair. “Let’s just lay here. Breathe. Just breathe.”

_God_. Neal thought. _What did I do to deserve her?_

***

The next morning, Neal woke to the news that Diana and Alex would be out of reach for at least week, as the newly online Sentinel had claimed her Guide. He wasn’t sure what he thought of his two worlds further colliding, but so long as they were happy, he was happy. It was another week before they headed back to the U-Boat to crack the locks.

Neal, Sara, Alex and Diana were the first four down, followed quickly by Peter and El. So it was that they were the first people to set eyes on art and treasures that had not been seen in over sixty years. They had to disarm the rest of the dynamite and then a whole team swarmed in to catalogue the find. The art community was about to be hit with the find of the century.

But Neal was more concerned with Adler. The FBI was clamoring for him, but Neal still couldn’t trust them all. Adler had too much pull there for it to be safe handing him over to them. He’d considered going to see him, but if he did…he knew he’d get angry. There wouldn’t be the distraction of Alex in danger. Angry wasn’t even the right word. Furious. Enraged. There was more to it than that even. He was afraid that if he faced Adler again, he’d want to kill him. To tear out his throat with his teeth like some feral animal.

And if he did that, he’d be no better than Adler. He’d lose Sara. God. Sara would lose him. He couldn’t do that to her. So he stayed away, stuck with the team authenticating the art work. Avoided his firearm qualification. Sara knew, but she didn’t mind getting in on the authentication.

“This is beautiful,” she said. “This portrait was thought to have been burned.” She was a little misty-eyed. “So much history…”

Neal smiled. “I know. It’s priceless.” At his heart, his motivation for stealing heart was love. He didn’t need to steal now. He could have whatever he wanted. He was going to have a house. The Center would cover the cost to keep such a powerful Sentinel in the city. For once, he had no reason whatsoever to steal. He didn’t have to steal to impress Sara. He didn’t have to be anyone except the man Sara saw when she looked at him. He didn’t have to pretend. He didn’t have to—he could just be Neal.

“Kathryn’s invited us to dinner tonight, do you want to go?” Sara asked.

“Oh—sure.” He set aside a gold plate. “That would be great.” It was something normal, at least. “We should call the real estate agent again. Take a look around the properties this weekend.”

“Okay.” Sara had felt the spikes of his emotional turmoil over the last days. He’d had a few bad nights too. He was trying not to worry her, she knew that. But he couldn’t hide from her either. They couldn’t hide from each other. Which was a good thing, otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to guilt him into going to therapy. She’d done what she could to help level off some of the sharp points in his emotional landscape, but he needed more than that.

So, therapy.

She’d agreed with him about not seeing Adler. The man was a snake. She wasn’t sure how everything was going to shake out in the end but—she had to make sure that Neal came out of it all right. That was all that mattered.

And they would get through this.

***

Jonah had made lemon rosemary chicken with polenta and fresh greens for dinner. Neal was impressed.

“This is very similar to a meal I had at this little café in Florence,” he commented. “It’s excellent, Jonah.”

“Thank you.” He smiled brightly. “Florence is one of my favorite cities.”

“Mine too.”

“There’s this little gelato stand,” Sara started, “near the train station. I dream about that gelato sometimes.”

“I know what you mean,” Johan replied. “Could be a good trip for us, once things settled down.”

Neal blinked. “Yeah, that would be great.” It hadn’t really hit him that he wasn’t stuck in Manhattan anymore. “We could go to the museums during the day, hit a disco at night.”

“No discos,” Sara replied. “But I’ll go to an opera.”

Kathryn smiled. “It’s good to see you two settling into your partnership. The Bond streamlines so much of the process, but you have to learn to work together. I admit, I was a little concerned about your past influencing things.”

Sara grinned. “It helped that the Raphael I was after Neal for _mysteriously_ appeared in the Sterling Bosch mailroom last week.”

Neal hid his own smile. He’d thought that would make his Guide happy, and he was right. Plus, he’d addressed it to her, so she claimed the finder’s fee. That had _really_ made her happy. The sex that evening had been particularly memorable.

For dessert, there was a ricotta cheesecake with lemon curd and a truly fantastic bottle of wine. They spent a few hours talking in the living room, letting dinner and wine settle before heading back to the hotel. It was—good. Great, actually. Neal had spent so long hiding from what little family he had left and now…now he had that back. And he had Sara.

Sara. He watched her sleep that night. It was still strange, waking up next to her. Some mornings, he still expected to see Kate there. But the more time passed, the less the hole that Kate had left hurt. Now that Adler was behind bars, now that the wheels of justice were turning, that hole seemed to be healing. A little bit at a time, but it was healing.

Looking at Sara though…hearing Claude and Cypria’s soft purrs from their vigil at the end of the bed, all he could think about was her. Keeping her safe. Once they had a house of their own, he’d sleep better. The hotel was nice, but it wasn’t _his_ , it wasn’t _theirs._ He knew Sara was still a bit upset about losing her place. He understood that. He hadn’t want to leave but he simply couldn’t bring himself to go back. The Sentinel inside him wouldn’t allow it. Of course, the more he used his gifts the less separation there was between him and the Sentinel.

The center people had told him to expect that, but it was still a bit odd. His overriding urges these past years had been to get back the money he’d lost from Adler. Then to get Kate back. Now, however, his greatest urge was _protect_ , with Sara at the top of the pyramid. Kate was shoved aside in the face of that.

And that bothered him more than he’d like to admit.

But then he’d look at Sara, or feel the warmth from their Bond, and the doubts would melt away. At least, for a while.

***

Neal had done a lot of things in his life. He’d fled from Burma through mud and muck. He’d escaped a French prison. He’d spent five days in a ventilation shaft. Then, of course, there was prison.

He was pretty sure shopping for a house with Sara was worse.

“There is absolutely no way the square footage listing is correct,” Sara was complaining. She’d found a reason to complain about four places so far, and Neal was beginning to get a bit…frayed. It was all seemingly reasonable on the surface, but he knew that the heart of her issue lay with wanting her old place back. And she couldn’t have that. So he sighed and tried to play along. If it went on too long though, he’d probably have to put his foot down. Which, given his general experience with Sara, probably would not go the way he wanted it to.

“I assure you, the square footage is correct,” the estate agent assured. “I have a few other interested parties, you know. We don’t get Center approved housing like this on the market every day.”

Sara wrinkled her nose. It was cute, which didn’t really help Neal’s current state of mind. He wanted to be annoyed with her, dammit. There were a few other people walking around the property, as it was an open house today. Some single Sentinels and one pair. Neal actually quite liked the house. It was built just post-revival, so the architecture was more his speed, and the wood floors were gorgeous. There was a nice view from the third floor, and a few modern additions had been made in the form of a walk in shower he could see himself utilizing to its fullest.

Sara felt a flash of lust through the Bond and glanced at Neal, wondering briefly what he could be thinking about at an open house. He caught her look and smiled before mouthing, _the shower._ Sara flushed and mouthed back _bad boy._

Neal shrugged.

“As I live and breathe, is that Sara Ellis?” A tall, good looking man with broad shoulders and a too easy smile strode toward her.

Neal pegged him as another Sentinel, and for some reason, that raised his hackles.

“Bryan,” Sara replied. “Wow, it’s been an age.” Sara glanced at Neal and then moved closer to him. “Bryan, this is my Sentinel Neal, Neal, this is Bryan McKenzie. We dated.”

Neal looked the other Sentinel over. “Nice to meet you.”

“Neal Caffrey?” Bryan raised his eyebrows. “Wow, I can hardly imagine how this must have happened.”

“Oh, you know,” Sara waved a hand, taking Neal’s hand with the other. She squeezed gently and he felt a touch of something through the Bond…concern? “Stranger things happen.” She laughed, but it didn’t ring true. “We were just heading out.”

“We should get coffee sometime,” Bryan pressed. “Catch up.”

“Sure.” Sara squeezed Neal’s hand a little harder. “Just give me a call.”

Bryan smiled. “Great seeing you again. And of course, congratulations.”

“Thank you.” Sara’s smiled seemed strained. She nodded quickly, and then practically dragged Neal from the house and down the street.

“What the hell, Sara?” Neal turned her toward him once they’d gotten some distance away. “Are you all right?”

She shook her head. “No, but let’s talk about that once we’re out of range…okay?” She glanced back toward the house and then to Neal, eyes a bit wide.

Neal felt the spike of fear then. “Okay, we can do that.” He kept her hand in his and finished walking to the car. Sara was on edge even as they pulled into traffic and headed away from the house. But she stayed quiet until they were six blocks away, finally breathing a small sigh.

“Sara?” Neal prompted. “Do you want to wait to talk until we get back to the hotel?”

She shook her head, hair falling forward and hiding her face. “Bryan—Bryan wanted to Bond with me once. I said no. At first I thought he was fine with it, but then I started getting calls and he’d send me gifts and…I told the Center about it and had to pull in some favors but eventually he backed off but it really scared me.” She swallowed. “He scares me.”

Neal took one hand off the wheel to take hers. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Sara nodded. Neal could still feel unease flowing through the Bond.

“Does he have your number?”

“No.”

“Good.” Neal took a breath. “I’ll call Kathryn though, to be on the safe side.”

“You don’t have to—”

“Of course I do.” He glanced at her briefly before turning his attention back to the road. “He scared you. He still scares you. We shouldn’t have Sentinels running around that frighten Guides, or stalk them.” _This is my territory,_ rang through Neal’s mind. _Mine._

“Okay.”

“When we get back to the hotel, if you’re up to it, a timeline and more details would be good. I want to know exactly what I’m dealing with.” He squeezed her hand. “But only if you’re up for it.”

“I think—maybe I need some tactile reassurance first.”

“Okay.” If she was getting formal on him, he knew she’d been spooked. That was fine though, if his Guide needed him to hold her until she felt safe again, he’d do it. And then, once he knew what this Bryan McKenzie was capable of…he could make sure he never got near Sara again.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neal meets more of New York's Sentinels and Guides and finally makes a decision about Adler.

“You making an appointment is a bit out of the blue,” Kathryn said, looking over her godson curiously. “Is everything all right?”

Sara was downstairs in the Center’s testing area, giving Neal an opportunity to see his godmother. “I wanted to talk to you about a Sentinel I met last weekend. Bryan McKenzie.” He sat down in front of Kathryn’s desk.

“I’m familiar with the name,” Kathryn admitted. “He tends to be a little more aggressive than he should be, but he’s never really crossed the line.”

“Are you sure about that?” Neal had gotten his hands on Bryan’s file. It hadn’t been illuminating for what was there, but more for what _wasn’t_. Sara’s complaint hadn’t included several of the incidents she’d told him about, and Sara being the way she was, he had a copy of the form she’d filled out. The form in Bryan’s file didn’t match. He couldn’t be sure there weren’t more inconsistencies.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, that I think someone in the Center is complicit.” Neal picked up the briefcase he’d brought along and pulled out his files. “This is the file I got from the Center.” He flipped to Sara’s complaint. “And this is a copy of the complaint Sara kept in her personal files.” He set that next to it. “You can see why I have some cause for concern.”

Kathryn gave him a look and then turned her attention to the files. “These aren’t even close to the same.” She frowned. “I don’t—are you thinking that we have someone in the Center covering this up?”

Neal shrugged. “I don’t see how there couldn’t be. The reports are completely different. I think you need to audit all of the complaints in this file, and to be thorough, the entire department should be audited.”

Kathryn sighed. “I know corruption can happen, but I never thought it could happen right under my nose.”

“We’ll sort it out, I’m sure.” Neal tried for a reassuring smile. “In the meantime, could we keep a closer eye on Bryan McKenzie? Sara…she’s scared of him, Kathryn. I don’t want him anywhere near her.”

“Of course, Neal.” Kathryn nodded. “And in the meantime, I’m bringing in my seconds to help with the investigation. Sentinel Ross. I’ll arrange for the two of you to meet.”

“All right.”

“In the meantime, we need to make a decision about Mr. Adler. SITF doesn’t have prosecutorial powers over non SG crimes. He can’t just sit in the holding facility.”

“I know.” Neal sighed. “I’m just not sure what to do.”

“I know.” Kathryn shook her head. “I don’t know what I would do in your position. But we have to have a decision by the end of the week.”

“All right.” He shook his head. “I’m just afraid that if we hand him over, he’ll get away again.”

“We won’t let that happen.”

He hoped she was right, but he knew she couldn’t really guarantee that.

No one could.

***

Neal and Sara got together that evening with Diana and Alex. Neal was a little concerned about how fast it had all happened. Diana had ducked out to take a call, giving Neal an opportunity to check in with Alex.

“You look happy,” Neal said, glancing at Alex. “How’s it feel?”

“I am happy.” Alex smiled. “As unexpected as all of this was and as weird as it is to have an FBI agent as my Sentinel…I mean, I sort of always knew that if I Bonded, my life would change. I was really only in the game to find the treasure. You know?” She shook her head. “We’ll work it all out. Just like you and Sara.”

“We’re still working it all out,” Neal admitted.

Sara smiled at him. “But we are working.” She took his hand and squeezed gently. “We are.”

Diana returned, brow furrowed.

“Everything all right?” Alex asked.

“Fine, the Center is doing some kind of audit? We have to come in for an interview.”

Neal coughed.

Diana turned her attention to him, eyebrow raised in suspicion. “You know something about this?”

“Nothing I can tell you about just yet,” he admitted. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Uh huh.”

Luckily, the waiter arrived to forestall further questions, but Neal had no doubt Diana would find another opportunity to harass him about it. Hopefully though, after dinner.

***

He still had a few days left to decide what to do with Adler, and a meeting with Sentinel Ross. Neal was somewhat surprised when entered the man’s office, to be faced with a slim though tall young man in a sharp gray suit. He smiled at Neal.

“You must be Sentinel Caffrey, I’m Mike Ross. Good to meet you.” He held out his hand, exposing a familiar cuff. It was a lot like Neal’s. “Call me Mike.”

“Feel free to call me Neal.” Neal shook his hand. “This is my Guide, Sara Ellis.”

“Sara and I have met before. The Fall mixer three years ago, right?” The blond smiled but didn’t move to shake her hand.

“Yeah,” Sara replied “Didn’t you end up Bonding after that evening? You ended up with Specter, right?”

 “Harvey, yes.” Mike smiled. “I guess it was destiny. Everyone always thought I was a Guide, and everyone thinks he’s a Sentinel so…it works out.”

Sara laughed. “He is a rather imposing fellow, but those prejudices really need to be rooted out.”

“Oh, I completely agree,” Mike nodded. “And I think some of that is the reason why no one has caught this case issue you found, Neal. I’ve been looking through the complaints and concerns files and calling the complainants to match their story with what I have on record. It’s a loose sample at best right now, but we’re looking at around a forty percent discrepancy rate in the files I’ve gone through thus far.”

“Great.” Neal shook his head.

“More importantly, it looks like there’s a common link between those discrepancies and the Center official logging the complaints for official review.”

Sara sighed. “Let me guess…Jordan?”

“I’d give you a prize, but I don’t have one.” Mike sighed and leaned back against his desk. “He’s not the only one logging fraudulent reports, but he is the one I’ve seen most consistently. It looks like we have at least three Guides on the Center staff doing this. None of them are Bonded.”

“Any Sentinels?” Sara asked.

“Not that I’ve found, but that doesn’t mean someone who doesn’t work at the Center isn’t involved. We’ll need to investigate thoroughly.”

The door opened and a tall, sharply dressed man entered the room. He was a bit older than Neal, with dark blond hair and a smirk that seemed permanent. “You must be Sentinel Caffrey,” he glanced at Neal. “And Guide Ellis. Always a pleasure to see you.”

“Specter.”

Neal frowned. “Wait…Harvey Specter. You work for Pearson Hardman, right? You have a reputation.”

“So do you.” Harvey grinned. “Some of my clients have very particular opinions about you.”

“I’m sure.” Neal smiled back.

Sara sighed. “The world would be safer if the two of you weren’t in the same room for long periods of time.”

“You might be right,” Mike snorted. “Moving on. Harvey, dearest, did you pick anyone else to help with the investigation?”

“I’m pulling Cruz and Fratelli off the task force and I was thinking about bringing in Lawson. He’s usually in the Hamptons this time of year, but he’ll make an exception if I ask. Rachel also agreed to come in in spite of that little tiff.”

“We’re going to need more than that for a full audit of the Center.” Mike sighed.

“I’ve also got Donna coming in.”

“And as wonderful as Donna is, she is not a dozen people.”

Harvey shrugged.

“I could lend you someone,” Neal mused. “Mozzie likes to dig through files and find conspiracies.”

“Mozzie can be trusted,” Sara asked. “Maybe not with your silverware.”

Neal snorted.

“I want ten more people,” Mike said. “Can we pull anyone else from the task force without drawing suspicion?”

“I’m not sure.” Neal frowned. “The task force works out of a different building, if a whole squad starts coming here every day, it’s going to look suspicious and we don’t want our targets to get suspicious.”

“He has a point there,” Harvey said.

“Diana Berrigan,” Neal said. “She’s FBI. She and her Guide are just Bonded, it wouldn’t be odd for them to be here frequently.” Jones was busy with the sub, or Neal would’ve suggested he be added to the list. “There have to be people in the Center you trust.”

“A few,” Harvey admitted. “We’ll sort it out. I want a solid case before we start throwing stones.”

Mike nodded. “It’s risky to make these kind of accusations without having all the paperwork to back it up.”

“How long do you think it’s going to take?” Neal asked.

“I’m not sure. But we’ll keep you in the loop,” Mike promised.

“In the meantime though,” Harvey continued. “I hear Ellison and Sandburg are coming back into town.”

“Where did you hear that?” Sara asked.

“I have my sources.” Harvey smiled. “But I get the feeling their not just coming for a visit.”

Neal agreed. “Maybe Kathryn called them in to help with the audit.” Or maybe they’d come to ask him if he was ready to step in as East Coast Prime. He was hoping it was the former. He really wasn’t ready for that responsibility.

“Maybe,” Mike agreed. “Well, now you know what we know. I’ll keep you informed of any developments.”

“Thanks.”

Now, all they had to do was…wait.

***

“Well, have you made up your mind?” Peter asked, watching as Neal paced his living room.

Neal sighed. “I don’t have another choice, do I? I have to hand him over to the FBI.”

“I will do everything I can to make sure he stays behind bars, Neal. You know that.”

“I know, Peter. It’s just…”

“Yeah. I know. Why don’t you sit down?” Peter patted the couch. “You’re going to wear a trench in the floor.”

Neal sighed again but took a seat. “Sorry. It’s just—Sara’s at the Center and this is the first time we’ve been apart since…since we Bonded.”

“The first time is the hardest.” Peter put a hand on his shoulder. “But she’s safe there.”

“I know. I can still get a read on her emotions at this distance. And I know we have to at least attempt some separation, I just didn’t think it would this soon.” Or that the separation test would happen when everything else in their lives was so chaotic. She was safe at the Center though, and her emotional feedback through the Bond was calm.

“Everything will work out.”

Neal nodded. “And where’s Elizabeth today? I thought you two were going to be together.”

“She had to stop by the office, but she’ll be back in a half hour or so.” Peter paused. “Kathryn filled me on the audit at the Center. How’s that going?”

“Good, I think. Sentinel Ross certainly seems to know what he’s doing.”

“He’s good at his job, memory like a steel trap too. I think that’s why Kathryn chose him as her second in command. I don’t know if he has the ambition for Prime, but he wouldn’t be terrible at it.” Peter gave Neal a look. “And you won’t be terrible at Prime either, you know.”

Neal flushed. “It’s a lot of responsibility.”

“I think you’ll be up for the task when the time comes.”

“Here’s hoping.”

Peter stood up. “You want a beer?”

“No thanks.” Neal sank back into the couch. “Water though, would be great.”

“Sure thing.” Peter headed off into the kitchen.

Neal ran a hand through his hair, slumping deeper into the cushions. There was just too much going on. He felt like he’d been running a race ever since he’d walked out of prison, but he was still running now and he wasn’t sure if the finish line was any closer.

As Peter walked back into the room, a sudden spike of emotion caught Neal off guard. He focused on the Bond and felt a rush of anxiety—fear and then anger.

He grabbed his phone, straightening and quickly dialing Sara’s number. It rang and rang, going to voice mail. He tried calling again.

“What’s wrong?” Peter asked.

“Sara’s upset, there’s something…” The phone went to voicemail again. And again.

Before he could hit redial, a call came in—it was Sentinel Ross. Neal answered. “What?”

“Neal,” Mike sounded out of breath. “Someone took Sara out of the Center. The cameras were shut down, there’s bleach everywhere. She’s just—gone.”

Neal dropped the phone, a cold chill raising goosebumps all over his skin.

He could still feel Sara’s anger through the Bond, that meant she was okay.

She had to be okay.

She had to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun. Dun. Dun. 
> 
> Sara is, decidedly, pissed off.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confrontations and admissions.

Sara was pissed.

She’d been surprised by the suddenness of the attack and then woozy from whatever they’d given her, but now she was angry. Angry, and in a small dark room. Her head was pounding. She tried to visualize her park but couldn’t. Her head hurt too much.

_Neal will find me._

Well, she could at least try to help him along in the meantime. At least she wasn’t tied up. The bed in the little dark room wasn’t terrible, but she couldn’t see it. She stood up, the floor was cold and her shoes were gone.

She found the door quickly enough, but there was no handle on this side. She didn’t have her tools either, so she couldn’t have picked the lock anyway. It was frustrating, but at least she was unharmed, mostly. She could still feel the Bond, feel Neal’s upset. She tried to send a wave of calm back to him, tried to comfort him, but she wasn’t sure if that was helping right now.

She heard footsteps coming down the hall and pressed herself into the corner opposite the door. There was a jiggle of metal and the door opened out and a light switched on. Sara blinked against the sudden brightness, but didn’t miss as someone entered the room.

“Bryan.”

“Hey, Sara.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She raised her chin.

He smiled, his usual, far too feral smile. “You were supposed to be mine, I’m just taking what’s mine.”

_Oh, this should be good._ Sara raised her eyebrows. “I’m _Bonded_ to Neal, Bryan. You can’t have me.”

Bryan shook his head. “You don’t need to worry about that. Bonds are made to be broken.”

A horrible cold chill struck through Sara like lightning. “No.”

“Oh, yes. I will have you, Sara. You are my Guide.” He raised his hand, and she finally noticed the syringe, full of menacing reddish fluid.

She had nowhere to go.

Sara clenched her jaw and squared her shoulders. She wouldn’t go down without a fight.

She wouldn’t let him take Neal away from her.

No one would ever take Neal away from her.

***

“Keep breathing,” Elizabeth said. “Focus on the Bond.”

Neal was breathing, well, he was trying to breathe. Focusing on the Bond was the only thing keeping him from going completely feral. He could feel it on the edges of his mind though, the ferocity lurking. The anger. He simply had to compartmentalize. He had to, because Sara needed him thinking and not growling.

Peter wasn’t sure how long Neal would be able to keep it together. He didn’t know what he’d do if someone took Elizabeth. Under the circumstances, Neal was doing pretty well. It wasn’t well known that higher level Sentinels tended to be more prone to ferality, but Neal generally seemed on an even keel.

Neal was calmish because he could feel Sara sending calm through the Bond. It was interrupted by a spike of fear—and anger. He growled.

“Neal?” Elizabeth put a hand on his shoulder.

“Sara, she’s angry, scared. It’s getting muddled together.” He shook his head. “But I think the Bond is getting stronger now. Keep driving North.” It was like playing hot and cold, but he didn’t have any better ideas right then. _I’m coming Sara. I’m coming._

***

Meanwhile, Sara managed to knock the syringe from Bryan’s hands, the glass shattering against the tile floor. He snarled, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her into the bed.

“You’re only delaying the inevitable, Sara,” he snarled.

“I will, _never_ , be yours.”

Bryan stormed out of the cell, slamming the door closed and throwing the lock.

Sara coughed and tried to catch her breath. Oh, this asshole was going to get it. She wished she had her baton. Or her gun. She wanted to shoot Bryan in a few specific places. He couldn’t be working alone either, which had her wanting to shoot whoever was working with him too.

Neal’s emotional landscape was a bit unsteady, and as soon as she had her breath, she started sending calm again. She needed him calm. She’d heard of cases where Sentinels had tracked down their Guides with just their Bond to go off of, if anyone could do that, she was thinking Neal could. He was strong. And if Sara couldn’t beat Bryan with her baton, she would take satisfaction in watching her lean, overly attractive Sentinel tear him to pieces.

***

In the heart of the SITF holding facility, a man was whistling, walking confidently toward the high security area, swinging his ID in one hand. The cameras were off, for some reason. He paused in front of the security gate and waited, but the gate buzzed and he was able to continue through.

“Thanks, Fi,” he said into his earpiece. “Almost there.”

“Hurry up then,” cracked back.

“Yeah, yeah.” It’d been a while since he’d been asked to do any wetwork, but he owed a few favors to a few people in very high places. If taking one scumbag out of the equation would win him some brownie points with the Sentinel Council, he was willing to do it. He found the right cell, and unlocked it with the keycard he’d been provided.

The man in the cell looked up as the door was opened.

“Who are you?” Adler asked.

The stranger smiled. “Oh, you know, just your friendly neighborhood spy.” He pulled a small plastic gun from his pocket. “You’ve become a real problem for a lot of people.”

“I can pay you,” Alder replied. “Double, triple whatever they are.”

“Oh, I’m not getting paid for this.” The spy shook his head and smiled. “You really pissed off the wrong people, Mr. Adler.” The plastic gun only gave him one shot, but he only needed the one.

Adler fell back and did not get up again.

The spy closed the door, turned around and left the prison before anyone was the wiser.

***

The feel of the Bond was getting stronger and stronger. Like a string thickening into a cable.

“Aren’t we near that old clinic,” Elizabeth asked. “The Center branch clinic?”

Peter’s brow furrowed a moment. “I think you’re right.”

“That would be a good place to hold someone.” She pointed the building out to Neal. “What do you think?”

“It—it could be the right place. You should park, Peter.” Neal clenched and unclenched his fist.

“Got it.” Peter parked, and practically before the car had stopped, Neal was out the door and running. “Goddamit, Neal.” Peter rushed after him, pulling his gun.

Elizabeth sighed and hurried after them.

Neal could feel the Bond growing stronger, and as he approached the side door to the closed clinic he caught a familiar scent—Sara.

“She’s here!”

Neal didn’t think before forcing the door, he hadn’t thought much about how a Sentinel’s strength and speed were heightened after coming online, but it certainly came in handy in that moment. Peter was right behind him.

Neal caught another scent as soon as he was inside the building—Bryan. But there was another he recognized as well, though right in that moment he couldn’t place it.

“You get a lock on Sara?” Peter asked.

“I think so.”

“There are at least three people in this building,” Peter replied. “Besides us.” He’d been counting heartbeats.

“Got it.” They stalked forward, following Sara’s scent to a hall of isolation cells. Bryan’s scent was stronger here as well, but Neal honed in on the singular heartbeat. It wouldn’t be long before Bryan realized Neal and Peter were there. These doors didn’t have locks, but bolts on the outside. Neal threw the bolt back and opened the door.

“Sara?”

“Neal!” His redhaired Guide rushed forward, throwing her arms around him. “I knew you’d find me.”

“Are you all right?” Neal held her close, breathing in her scent and stroking her hair.

“I’m fine.” Sara wished she wasn’t quite so clingy right in that moment, but the image of the syringe and the memory of Bryan’s around her throat were too fresh.

Neal pulled back slightly, looking her in the eyes. “Why did Bryan kidnap you?”

Sara swallowed. She knew if she told Neal the truth, there was a slight chance he’d go feral and tear Bryan’s throat out. That was generally frowned on these days.

“Sara?” Neal prompted, brow furrowing.

“He was going to try to break our Bond.”

“Is that even possible?”

“There are some highly illegal substances that can have that effect on lower ranking Sentinel/Guide Bonds,” Peter said. “But I’ve never heard of it working on an Alpha pair. Still, those drugs can be lethal.”

“He could’ve killed you.” His eyes went a bit wide and a slow snarl escaped his lips. “I’m going to kill him.”

“Neal,” Sara put on her most soothing voice, “killing him won’t fix any of this. He’s going to face the Council, pay for his crimes. The right way.” Even if she would love to see Neal beat him down.

Neal clenched his jaw, but relaxed a smidge under his Guide’s gentle tone.

Peter sighed.

“Get away from her.” Bryan appeared in the hallway. “She’s mine.”

“On second thought,” Sara mused. “Maybe you could hurt him, just a little.”

“My pleasure.” Neal turned toward Bryan, stepping in front of Sara. While he wasn’t generally one to start a fight, Neal certainly knew _how_ to fight and when his fist connected with Bryan’s jaw, he felt a surge of satisfaction.

Peter sighed, but he wasn’t going to step in unless it looked like Neal was getting carried away. There was a lot of leeway here. Really, Neal probably would have gotten away with killing Bryan for what he’d been intending to do. The Sentinel Council would have made sure of that. Breaking someone’s Bond was…unthinkable.

Besides, there was still the other party to worry about. Peter could hear another heartbeat just down the hall beyond Bryan. He glanced back at Elizabeth. “I think there’s a Guide here.”

She nodded. “I can feel them too.”

Sara frowned, and made her own sweep, casting out for other auras—and finding one she recognized too well. “That’s Jordan Kahn.”

Neal had Bryan on the floor.

“That’s enough,” Sara said. “Put him in cuffs, we’ve got to grab his partner too.”

Neal nodded, chest heaving, and pulled the cuffs from his belt, quickly snapping them onto Bryan’s wrists. “Take charge of him, Peter, I’ll grab the other one.”

Sara followed Neal, skipping over Bryan’s inert form on the way with a vindictive smile. _Asshole._

Jordan Kahn had just decided it would be best to run when Neal and Sara spotted him. He didn’t get particularly far. Sara, without evening thinking, threw out a wave of emotion, forcing the other Guide into sleep, just as she had the gunman all those weeks ago.

“Nicely done,” Neal said.

“Well thank you.”

“I think we’d best call this in now.” He took a breath, and pulled her close again. “I was so scared.” _I can’t lose her._

Sara nodded. “Me too.” _I can’t lose him._

He looked into her eyes and he knew without a trace of doubt—he loved her.

“I love you too,” Sara whispered.

Neal flushed. “I forget sometimes, that you can feel what I’m feeling.”

“Keeps you honest,” she replied. “Come on, I want to get out of here and bathe.”

“Think there’s room for two in the hotel bath?”

“I think we’ll manage somehow.”

***

Neal took the news about Adler’s sudden demise surprisingly well. Though he was a bit confused on how someone had gotten into the holding facility, he wasn’t particularly surprised that Adler had enemies with enough power to get to him even in the relative safety of prison. He couldn’t help feeling relieved either, Adler was gone and while he would perhaps never see trial for Kate’s murder, Neal felt much like justice had been served.

With the case settled and Jordan’s web of corruption unraveling fast, things finally slowed down enough for he and Sara to find a house they could both agree on. They invited everyone to the housewarming party. Neal had been suspiciously secretive these past few weeks, though Sara hadn’t been able to sort out exactly what her Sentinel was up to.

She wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to know, but he and Mozzie had been spending a few too many hours locked away in Neal’s “study”.

“I just don’t know what’s going on,” she confided to Elizabeth over a glass of wine. She’d cornered the other Guide in an out of the way corner as the housewarming party went on around them. “I mean, it’s like he’s plotting a heist or something.”

“I’m sure it’s not that.” Elizabeth hadn’t touched her wine. “Maybe he’s going to propose.”

Sara shook her head. “No, we’ve talked about that. He’s not ready yet. Maybe a year or two down the line, but not right now.”

“I don’t know, Sara. But I’m sure it’s nothing bad. Neal loves you, he wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”

“I know…” Sara sighed and narrowed her eyes on Elizabeth’s wine glass. “You haven’t taken a sip of that merlot.”

Elizabeth shrugged.

Sara wasn’t put off by a shrug. “Are you…you know?”

Given that they were in a room full of Sentinels, it was difficult to keep a private conversation _private_ , but Sara could try.

Elizabeth sighed and gave a slight nod. “But don’t say anything, I want to wait.”

Sara nodded, but reached out, squeezing Elizabeth’s hand. “I’m happy for you.”

Elizabeth smiled. “Thank you.”

“Sara?” Neal called.

“Here,” she waved and he came trotting over. “What is it?”

He kissed her on the cheek. “I have a surprise for you.”

“Oh? You steal something else from one of my clients?”

Neal smiled and shook his head. “No, I found something. Well, someone.”

Sara felt his excitement, and a soft chill rolled over her. “Found someone?” He couldn’t have…could he? He took her by the hand and led her away from the party and into the small office she’d claimed as her own.

“Sara…you’ve gotten so big,” the tall redhead standing in Sara’s office said. “I can’t believe it.”

“Emily?” Sara blinked in disbelief. “But—where have you been?”

Emily frowned, biting her lip before looking her sister in the eye. “I was in juvie for a bit, after I left home and then homeless and…I guess I thought I would be a disappointment. Then, when I finally got my life together I just—you had your own life. I’d been gone for so long, I didn’t think you’d want to see me.” She shook her head. “I was such a fool.”

“Of course I want to see you.” Tears pricked at Sara’s eyes and she moved forward. “I’ve missed you so much.” She hugged Emily tight.

“I missed you too.” Emily hugged her back. “I’m so sorry.”

Neal smiled, slipping out of the office to give the sisters time. He hadn’t expected to find Emily, really, but he’d had to try. Mozzie knew more about people disappearing than anyone he knew and Mozzie had contacts. Finding Emily hadn’t taken nearly as long as convincing her that Sara wanted to see her, actually.

A few moments later, he felt a tug on the Bond, and headed back into the office. “Yes?”

Sara grabbed him by the tie and kissed him. “Thank you,” she whispered against his lips.

“You’re welcome.”

Sara pulled back and turned toward her sister. “I suppose you’ve already met my Sentinel, Neal.”

“Yeah.”

“How would you like to meet the rest of the…family?”

Emily smiled. “I’d love to. And—and maybe you’d like to meet the rest of mine?”

“I’d love to.” Sara reached out a hand, which Emily took, and they headed back out into the party together.

***

_One Year Later_

“And I’m telling you that I’m not attending any functions this week,” Neal snapped at his phone. “I’m on vacation.”

His assistant, Guide Zane, could practically be heard rolling her eyes on the other end of the line. “It’s a charity auction, hardly strenuous.”

“No.” Neal had to be firm, or he’d end up getting no vacation. “Lawson can go.”

“Fine, but you’re going to the Christmas ball.”

“Fine. I’ll be back from vacation by then.” Neal hung up and tossed his phone aside, resettling into his chair. “This is ridiculous, why did agree to this job?”

“Well,” Sara said, “because Ellison asked you too, and because it means you get to travel.” She padded over to him, plopping down into his lap. “It’s not so bad being East Coast Prime, is it?”

Neal sighed and shook his head, kissing her. “I suppose not. I just wish that when I delegated, the people I delegated to would, you know, do it.”

“You can hardly blame Diana for having to bow out, she’s six months pregnant.” Sara gave him a look. “And cranky.”

“I know.” He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I know.”

“I bet I know something that will make you feel better.” She walked her fingers up his chest to his tie, tugging on it slightly.

“Oh?” Neal raised his eyebrows.

“Oh.” She licked her lips. “Why don’t you carry me to bed?”

Neal’s eyes darkened in that way that drove Sara just a little bit crazy and her heart beat faster. “Anything for you.” He stood, easily lifting her up at the same time. “I love you.” He kissed her. “You know that right?”

“I do.” She smiled agreeably. “Now, let’s get to bed before your assistant can call and harass you further. I want to spend our vacation wisely.”

“As you wish.”

As Neal carried Sara off to the bedroom, Cypria and Claude curled up together in the vacated chair, purring contentedly. Claude licked Cypria’s head and purred even louder. The coppery coated lynx burrowed closer to him. A few minutes later, a softer, though faster, purr, joined their chorus and a dainty reddish lynx kitten climbed between their parents. Cypria licked the kitten and rubbed her head gently along their side.

The kitten nuzzled back, and quickly fell asleep, content to wait for their own human counterpart.

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, that is the end. Thank you all for reading. I had the ending plotted out for some time and simply couldn't seem to get it all down. 
> 
> Perhaps this will, someday, see a sequel, but for now I'm happy with this as it is.


End file.
